DUALTALE
by Nemon0416
Summary: You know the story. The eighth human falls into the underground and must escape. But now something has changed... this isn't undertale anymore. This, is DUALTALE. DUALTALE Now has a webcomic on Webtoons, courtesy of God of Wrath. Author will now answer questions on an irregular basis, so feel free to post your questions in the comment section.
1. Chapter 1, Page 1

**Long ago, two races ruled over Earth: HUMANS and MONSTERS. One day, war broke out between the two races. After a long battle, the humans were victorious. They sealed the monsters underground with a magic spell.**

**Many years later…**

**Mt. Ebott **

**201X**

**Legends say that those who climb the mountain never return…**

**DUALTALE**

A boy dressed in a red and black shirt, blue pants, yellow shoes, and an orange and yellow scarf laid on the ground with his eyes closed, his body sore from the fall. "Are you ok? Say something!" Came a voice. He groaned as he opened his eyes to see a child younger than himself with bandages on their wrist and cheek staring down at him with a worried expression. The boy let out a sound of alarm as he crawled away from them.

"Who the- what? What happened?" He asked as he looked around.

"You fell." Said the child as they pointed upwards. Nemo followed where they were pointing and saw a large hole with sunlight shining through it.

"I see… wait, who are you?" Asked the boy as he looked back at them.

"I'm Frisk." They replied.

"Nice to meet ya Frisk, name's Nemo." He said. With that Nemo stood up and walked over to the wall of the cavern they were in. He put a hand on the wall and walked around the cavern. After taking a full lap around the cavern he stopped and walked back to Frisk. "Well, looks like we can't climb out, the walls are too flat." He explained.

"I see." Said Frisk sadly. Then they turned and looked another way."If we can't go back the way we came, then there's only one other way to go."

Nemo turned to where Frisk was looking and saw that the cavern continued that way.

"Alrighty then." Said Nemo as he looked at Frisk. "Shall we?" Frisk gave a small smile and nodded their head. With that the pair walked together down the path, they didn't have to travel far before reaching a framed opening. "That's strange." Commented Nemo as they walked inside. Once through they walked a short distance before seeing a lone sunflower in the center of the cavern. "Is… is that flower… smiling at us?" Asked Nemo.

"I think so." Said Frisk.

"_Howdy!_" Said the flower, causing both humans to jump in surprise. "_I'm Flowey. Flowey the Flower!_" It looked at the duo. "_Hmmm… you're new to the Underground, aren'tcha?_ _Golly, you must be so confused._"

"Talking flower." Said Nemo absentmindedly.

"_Hm?_" Said Flowey.

"Frisk, you also see the flower right?" Asked Nemo. Frisk nodded their head in response. "Ok, good, so I haven't lost my mind yet. Please continue talking flower."

"_I told you, my name is Flowey._" Replied Flowey. "_Someone ought to teach you how things work around here! I guess little old me will have to do. Ready? Here we go!" _Suddenly a glowing head appeared from each human, Frisk's was red, and Nemo's was white. _"See those hearts? Those are your souls. The very culminations of your beings! Your soul starts off weak, but will grow stronger if you gain a lot LV. What's LV stand for? Why, LOVE of course! You want some LOVE don't you? Don't worry, I'll share some with you!_"

"_There's something off about this." _Thought Nemo.

Suddenly a bunch of white pellets shaped like sunflower seeds appeared above Flowey. "_Down here, LOVE is shared through… little white… 'friendliness pellets'. Are you ready?_" Asked Flowey, suddenly the pellets began to move towards them. "_Move around get as many as you can." _Nemo gently grabbed Frisk and nudged them out of the pellet's path while avoiding them at the same time. This action caused Flowey to make a face. "_Hey, what are you doing?" _He asked.

"Pardon me if I find this a little bit sketchy." Said Nemo as he crossed his arms.

"Come on Nemo, Flowey seems nice, we should trust him." Said Frisk.

"Frisk. Look at where we are, look at what we're talking to, consider what it's asking us to do, then honestly tell me that this doesn't seem the least bit suspicious." Said Nemo in a tone like an older sibling talking to a younger one.

Frisk looked at him then turned to look at Flowey. Suddenly the duo felt pain as a pellet struck each of them. "_YoU aNnOyInG bRaT._" Said Flowey in an unsettling voice and with an even more unsettling face. "iN tHiS wOrLd, It'S kIlL oR bE kIlLeD, lIkE i WoUlD pAsS uP aN oPpOrTuNiTy LiKe ThIs."

"Ok!" Said Nemo as he grabbed Frisk's wrist. "Time to go!" He tried to run, but a swarm of pellets surrounded the pair and began to close in.

"_Die._" Said Flowey as he let out a demonic laugh. Nemo brought Frisk close to protect them and braces for impact. Suddenly the pellets vanished, the three of them looked in confusion. Then a small fireball appeared next to Flowey and knocked the small creature away. From the shadows appeared a tall goat monster dressed in purple robes.

"What a terrible creature, torturing poor innocent youths… ah, don't be afraid my children, I am Toriel, caretaker of the ruins. I pass through this place everyday to see if anyone has fallen down. You two are the first humans to appear in a long time. Come! I will guide you through the catacombs." She walked closer to them and extended her hand. "This way."

This action caused Nemo to take a step back while still holding onto Frisk. "Nemo?" Asked Frisk.

"My child please, you need to come with me." Said Toriel.

"Look lady, we were almost killed by a flower. A _flower_. So please tell me why I should trust a six foot, bipedal, fire shooting _goat lady_, when a single attack from a sentient weed almost took us out?" Asked Nemo while still holding Frisk close.

Toriel looked at him for a moment before sighing. "I suppose after what just happened you have every right to be suspicious of me." She said. "But I promise that I am telling you the truth, I only wish to keep you safe."

"Nemo." Said Frisk. The taller boy looked down at them, who was giving him an innocent look. "I think we should trust Ms. Toriel, she did save us from Flowey after all."

"You also said we should trust Flowey and look how that went." Said Nemo as he gave them a flat look. Frisk looked back at him with puppy dog eyes. The pair continued like this in silence for a moment. Then Nemo bent his head forward and sighed. "Fine…"

"Yay!" Cheered Frisk as they jumped for joy. Then Nemo turned around and crouched down. "Huh? What are you doing?"

"Giving you a ride, what does it look like?" Asked Nemo as he looked over his shoulder. Frisk let out a smile as they climbed onto his back. _"I'm so weak." _Thought Nemo with a frown as he stood up with Frisk safely on his back and looked at Toriel. "Alright, let's go." Toriel smiled and nodded her head before leading them through the doorway behind her.

The group entered another room that was well lit, they walked across and reached some steps. Near the steps was a pile of leaves with a glowing star. Nemo stopped walking to look at it. Then Frisk leaned over and touched it, and a warm feeling spread over them as their wounds vanished. "Woah." Said Nemo as he looked at his hand. Then he resumed walking through the next doorway. The next room had a series of six buttons on the ground and a yellow lever on the wall.

"Welcome to your home, innocent ones." Said Toriel. "Allow me to educate you in the operation of the Ruins." She then walked across four of the buttons and pulled the lever. Doing so caused the door to open. She then looked back at them. "The Ruins are full of puzzles. Ancient fusions between diversions and doorkeys. One must solve them to move from room to room. Please adjust yourself to the sight of them."

"That seems kind of extra to me, but what do I know." Said Nemo with an awkward expression. He then continued forward. Toriel went to the next room through the door, but Nemo pauses and looked at the sign next to it. He and Frisk stared at it in silence for a moment. "What language… _is_ this?" Asked Nemo.

"Only the fearless may proceed. Brave ones, foolish ones. Both walk not the middle road." Said Frisk.

"Huh?" Asked Nemo as he looked at them.

"It's what the sign said." Explained Frisk.

"You can read this?" Asked Nemo. Frisk nodded their head. "That's… interesting." With that they continued forward. They entered the next room where Toriel waited for them.

"To make progress here, you will need to trigger several switches. Do not worry, I have labeled the ones that you need to flip." She explained before continuing forward.

Nemo walked down the path that Toriel took, flipping both of the switches that were surrounded by yellow arrows. Upon flipping the second switch, spikes blocking the path to the next room sank into the ground. "Splendid! I am proud of you, little one." Said Toriel.

"_I'm like, four inches shorter than you." _Thought Nemo with a flat expression.

"Let us move to the next room." Said Toriel, walking away. Nemo followed her.

The next room had a training dummy in the middle. "As a human living in the Underground, monsters may attack you. You will need to be prepared for this situation." Explained Toriel. "However, worry not! The process is simple. When you encounter a monster, you will enter a Fight. While you are in a Fight, strike up a friendly conversation. Stall for time. I will come to resolve the conflict. Practice talking to the dummy."

"_Seriously?" _Thought Nemo.

"Can you let me down? I'd like to talk to the dummy." Said Frisk.

"_Seriously!?" _Thought Nemo. He sighed and crouched down, letting Frisk get down, who then walked over to the dummy. Suddenly their red soul appeared in front of them.

"Hi there, my name's Frisk." Said Frisk, but got no response.

"Ah, very good! You are very good." Said Toriel as she walked through the next pathway. Nemo and Frisk followed her. She awaited their arrival in the next room. "There is another puzzle in this room… I wonder if you can solve it?" She continued onward with the children following close behind. Suddenly Nemo's soul appeared in front of him.

His eyes traveled downward to see a Froggit standing in front of him. "Hi there?" Said Nemo. Froggit was about to act when Toriel showed up and glared at the frog monster. Froggit meekly looked away before slinking off. "Thanks." Said Nemo, Frisk gave him a thumbs up. With that the trio continued forward. Nemo and Frisk paused and looked at another wall sign.

"The western room is the eastern room's blueprint." Said Frisk.

"What?" Asked Nemo. Frisk simply looked at him and shrugged. They then continued down the path and stopped next to Toriel. "Something wrong?" Asked Nemo. He looked past her and saw a bridge covered in spikes over a body of water. "Yikes, whoever made this puzzle must've really been trying to prove a _point_." Nemo at his own joke. Frisk sighed while Toriel let out a giggle.

"This puzzle is a little too dangerous, please take my hand and follow closely." Said Toriel. Nemo looked down at her extended hand, he then gently grabbed Frisk's shoulder and pushed them towards Toriel.

"You first Frisk." Said Nemo. Frisk nodded their head and grabbed Toriel's hand. Toriel then began to walk with Frisk while Nemo followed close behind. As they walked, the spikes retracted where they stepped. Soon they were across the bridge.

"Puzzles appear to be too dangerous for now." Said Toriel before continuing forward. Nemo and Frisk followed close behind. She awaited them in the next room. "You have done excellently this far, my children. However… I have a difficult request to ask of you." She paused for a moment. "I would like you to walk to the end of the room by yourselves. Forgive me for this."

"What?" Asked Frisk worriedly.

"_Good grief." _Thought Nemo as she walked away. After a moment they walked down the hallway. After a minute they were at the end of the hallway. Suddenly Toriel came from behind a pillar.

"Greetings, my children. Do not worry, I did not leave you." Said Toriel, causing Frisk to let out a cheer.

"_Good _grief_!" _Thought Nemo with a flat expression.

"I was merely behind this pillar the whole time. Thank you for trusting me. However, there was an important reason for this exercise… to test your independence." Said Toriel.

"_You talk about us learning independence when you're the one who asked us to join you." _Thought Nemo.

"I must attend to some business, and you must stay alone for a while. Please remain here. It's dangerous to explore by yourself. I have an idea. I will give you a cellphone. If you have a need for anything, just call. Be good, alright?" Asked Toriel as she gave them the phone, then left.

Frisk moves over and parked themself in front of the pillar. Nemo looked at them, sighed, then sat down next to them.

They sat there for a while. Eventually Nemo sighed and stood up. "Alright, I'm bored, let's go." He said.

"But Ms. Toriel said not to go anywhere." Protested Frisk.

"She also said that we needed to be independent." Replied Nemo. "Besides, you got something better to do?"

Frisk was quiet for a moment before sighing. "Alright." They said.

"Great! Let's go!" Said Nemo with a grin. With that, they proceeded to the next room.

Suddenly the cellphone rang, Frisk pulled it from their pocket and held it between them. "Hello?" They asked.

"_Hello? This is Toriel._" Said Toriel over the phone. "_You have not left the room, have you? There are a few puzzles ahead that I have yet to explain. It would be dangerous to try and solve them yourself. Be good, alright?" _The phone clicked as she hung up. Frisk gave Nemo an unimpressed look, who simply shrugged with a nervous smile in response. The pair walked and saw another glowing star. Frisk went over and touched it. A familiar feeling of warmth spread through them.

"What do you think those are?" Asked Nemo.

"I'm not sure, but they make me feel… determined." Said Frisk.

"Determined?" Asked Nemo with a chuckle. "Ok, whatever floats your boat kiddo." He looked around and saw that the could go left or right. "Alright, your call, left, or right?"

Frisk strokes their chin for a moment. "Let's go left." They said.

"Left it is." Said Nemo. They turned and walked to the left. They didn't get far when their souls appeared in front of them. They looked down and saw another Froggit. "Great."

"Meow." Said the Froggit. Suddenly a bunch of flies appeared and flew at them.

"Get back Frisk!" Said Nemo as he raised his hand at them. They nodded and walked backwards. Soon their soul disappeared. The Froggit leapt at Nemo, who jumped out of the way. He glared at the frog creature. "Alright small fry, get out of here before I hurt you." Threatened Nemo. His threat made Froggit shiver. Then it leapt at him and struck him in his stomach. Nemo growled and grabbed Froggit. "I said." He swung his foot up and kicked it in the jaw, sending Froggit up and into the roof of the Ruins. "Get lost!" Froggit let out a weak meow as it fell to the ground. It laid there for a moment before turning to dust.

Nemo and Frisk stared at the dust and watched it blow away in the wind. "You killed it." Said Frisk.

"Yeah." Said Nemo without looking at them.

"Why!?" They cried.

"Because it attacked me. You heard Flowey, it's kill or be killed, and I'm not a fan of the latter option." Said Nemo.

"But-." Started Frisk, but we're cut off as Nemo wrapped an arm around their head and pulled them in for a one armed hug.

"Don't worry, you won't have to kill any of these monsters leave the fighting to me." He said. Frisk trembled for a moment before nodding their head. "K. Let's get going." With that the pair continued forward.

_**Page 1 End**_


	2. Chapter 1, Page 2

Frisk and Nemo stared at the bowl of candy. "Take one." Said Frisk, reading the label aloud.

"Should we?" Asked Nemo.

"Hm… yes." Said Frisk. They both took one piece of candy and put it in their pockets.

Nemo looked around the room. "Doesn't look like there's anything left, shall we?" He asked as he jerked his thumb at the door. Frisk smiles and nodded their head. With that the pair exited back into the hall. As they walked they passed the glowing star again which Frisk brushed their hand against, doing so caused another feeling of warmth to pass over the duo, and Nemo felt the pain from that Froggit's attacks vanish. They continued down the hall and went around the bend. Suddenly their souls appeared again as a Whimsun appeared.

"Well this is new." Said Nemo.

"I'm sorry." Said the Whimsun. Suddenly a ring of butterflies appeared around them. The pair stayed still waiting for the butterflies to attack them, but instead they simply vanished. Nemo looked back at the Whimsun and saw that it was avoiding looking at him.

"Ok look, I'm not interested in fighting. Go now and you won't be hurt." Said Nemo. The Whimsun said nothing as it flew away. Once the Whimsun was gone, their souls vanished. Nemo sighed. "Let's go."

They walked down the hallway for only a moment before the ground suddenly gave out beneath them and they fell. They let out a shout of alarm as they fell. Next thing they knew, they were lying in a pile of leaves. "What just happened?" Asked Nemo as he looked around. Frisk let out a giggle. "What?" Asked Nemo as he turned and looked at him. They continued to giggle and pointed at his head. Nemo's eyes traveled upwards as he reached up and plucked a leaf out of his hair. He looked at it for a moment before rolling his eyes with restrained smile. "Very funny Frisk." Said Nemo. With that they stood up and looked around. They saw tunnels on the wall. "Which one?" Asked Nemo.

"Let's do the right one." Said Frisk as they pointed to the tunnel on the right.

"Alrighty then." Said Nemo as they approached the right tunnel. "You first." Frisk nodded and entered the tunnel. Nemo counted to ten before calling up. "Did you make it through?!"

A couple of seconds passed. "Yeah!" Called Frisk. At their response Nemo crawled through the tunnel. A few seconds later he popped out on the floor they had been before. "Nemo look!" Called Frisk. Nemo looked over at them and saw them crouching near where they'd fallen, a pair of holes showing where they'd fallen. Frisk grabbed a stick and poked the ground, as they did so it crumbled away and formed another hole.

"I guess this was another puzzle." Said Nemo. He turned and looked the opposite direction.

"Time to go?" Asked Frisk.

"Time to go." Said Nemo. Frisk stood up and walked to him, once they were next to him they continued forward. Suddenly their souls appeared again. They saw another Froggit. "Not again." Said Nemo.

"Hop, hop." Said the Froggit. Suddenly a bunch of flies appeared.

"Get dodging!" Shouted Nemo as they moved to avoid the flies. While Frisk jumped backwards, Nemo ran forward and punched the Froggit, but it wasn't enough to put the creature down as a fly hit him in the shoulder, creating a sharp pain. Nemo grit his teeth as he slammed his fist down on the Froggit. It let out a groan as it turned to dust. With the Froggit gone their souls vanished once more. Nemo and Frisk looked down at the pile of dust that was once the Froggit. "Let's go."

"Ok." Said Frisk. They continued to the next room. Suddenly their phone began to ring. Frisk pulled the phone out and held it between them. "Hello?" They asked.

"_Hello? This is Toriel._" Said Toriel over the phone._ "For no reason in particular… which do you prefer? Cinnamon or butterscotch?_"

"I like Cinnamon." Said Frisk.

"Same." Said Nemo.

"_Oh, I see. Thank you very much!_"Said Toriel. The phone clicked as she hung up.

"Let's go." Said Nemo and began to walk. Before Frisk could put the phone away, it started to ring again. "What now?" Asked Nemo.

Frisk shrugged as they held the phone between them. "_Hello? This is Toriel._" Said Toriel over the phone."_You do not _dislike _butterscotch, do you? I know what your preference is, but… would you turn up your nose if you found it on your plate?_"

"_I can already tell where this is going." _Thought Nemo with a tired expression.

"I like butterscotch too!" Said Frisk.

"Yeah, same." Said Nemo. Then he made a face of discomfort. "I think…"

"_Right, right, I understand. Thank you for being patient, by the way._" Replied Toriel. The phone clicked as she hung up.

"Ok, _now _let'sget going." Said Nemo. Frisk giggled and nodded their head.

They started to walk and noticed the row of spikes. "I think I get the _point_ of this puzzle." Said Nemo with a smile. Frisk sighed in response. "Yeah, I guess that one was kinda reaching there." Said Nemo. He looked to his left and saw another sign on the wall. "Hey Frisk, another sign." Frisk turned and looked at the sign. "If you could be so kind?"

Frisk nodded and went to the sign on the wall. "Three out of four gray rocks recommend you push them."

"...What?" Asked Nemo. He started to walk over. "You sure you rea- urgh!" Nemo let out a grunt as he tripped and face planted. He laid there quietly for a moment. "Ow." He stood up and looked at what he tripped over, seeing a gray rock on the ground close to a gray button. "Oh." He sighed as he stood up and used his foot to nudge the rock onto the button. Doing so caused the spikes to retract into the ground. "Looks like this puzzle just became pointless." Said Nemo as he did finger guns at Frisk.

"You falling on your face was funnier." Said Frisk. Nemo groaned as he looked at the ground sadly.

"Let's just go." He said. The pair started to walk again. Just as they crossed over where the spikes had been, their souls manifested and a fourth Froggit appeared. "Oh for crying out loud! How many of these things are there!?"

Suddenly the Froggit leapt at them. "Move!" Shouted Nemo as they dodged out of the way. "Ribbit, ribbit!" Said the Froggit leapt at them again. Nemo reared his arm back and punched the Froggit. It crumbled to dust on impact. The pair's souls vanished as Nemo let out a sigh as he brushed the dust away.

"Let's get going." Said Nemo.

"Alright." Said Frisk, then they continued forward. In the next room the path was incredibly wide. They didn't get far when the ground gave out beneath them. They fell and landed on another pile of leaves.

"Here we go again." Groaned Nemo as he laid in the pile of leaves. Frisk giggles next to him. He sat up and scratched his head. Then his eyes landed on another wall carving. "Hello there. Frisk, found another sign for ya."

"On it." Said Frisk as they walked over to the wall sign. "It says: 'Please don't step on the leaves.'"

Nemo looked at the ground and saw the path created where the leaves weren't.

"I've got an idea." Said Nemo. "Follow me." He then turned and started walking with Frisk I'm close pursuit. They climbed through the small tunnel and found themselves back at where they'd fallen. "Follow close." He then slowly walked ahead, and didn't fall. A smirk broke out on his face. "Knew it." Suddenly his soul manifested in front of him. He looked and saw a Whimsun. Nemo gave the monster a flat look before growling out a single word. "Scram." With that the Whimsun left. "Let's go." They continued walking, they got close to the end but then a misstep on Nemo's part send him tumbling. "Ow. Stay put Frisk! I'll be back in a minute!" He then climbed up and retraced his steps. He got close to Frisk when suddenly his soul manifested once more. He turned around and saw both a Froggit and a Whimsun. "Great, twice the trouble."

"Hop, hop." Said the Froggit.

"Forgive me." Said the Whimsun. Two rows of butterflies appeared next to Nemo as he was attacked by a swarm of flies. Nemo tried to dodge them, and he succeeded for the most part, but two flies struck his chest and stomach. He let out a groan as he staggered, trying to avoid falling. Nemo growled and punched the Froggit, but it wasn't enough.

"Hop, hop." Said the Froggit.

"I'm sorry." Said the Whimsun. Nemo was surrounded by a circle of butterflies as two more flies struck his arms. He growled as he kicked Froggit. The creature was dusted on impact. "Forgive me." Another ring of butterflies surrounded him. He stayed put and they vanished soon after. He gave the Whimsun another glare and it ran away just like that. Nemo sighed as he looked at his hands, despite his injuries, he actually felt stronger now. He finished the puzzle and met with Frisk.

"Are you ok?" Asked Frisk.

Nemo smiled at the smaller child and put a hand on their head. "I'm all good kiddo." He said. Frisk smiles at him. "Let's get going." They continued to the next room, and the sight of it made him groan in annoyance. "Good grief." The room has three stones in it just like the one stone a few rooms back. "Let's get to it."

"Right." Said Frisk. The duo got to work and moved the first two stones, before Nemo moved to the third. Before they could reach it, their souls manifested. A trio of Moldsmals appeared before them.

"Three? Yeah, nope, not doing this." Said Nemo as he walked past them. Their souls then vanished. They moved on to the third rock. Nemo stuck his foot out and punched the rock.

"WHOA there, pardner!" Shouted the rock, making Nemo jerk his foot away. "Who said you could push me around?"

"We're sorry, but could you move onto that button over there?" Asked Frisk.

"You want me to move over? Ok, just for you, pumpkin." Said the rock. It then moved over, but not far enough.

"Further please." Said Frisk.

"More? Alright, how about this?" It Asked. It then moved, but the wrong way.

"That way please." Said Frisk as they pointed at the button.

"That way? Okay, think I got it." Said the rock. It then proceeded to move over the button, causing the spikes covering the bridge to retract.

"Thank you." Said Frisk as they started to walk, but just before crossing the bridge, the spikes cane out of the ground again.

"Geez!" Shouted Nemo as he jumped back to avoid getting skewered. He whirled around and glared at the rock. Frisk put a hand on his arm

"Please stay on the button until we cross the bridge!" Said Frisk.

"You want me to _stay _there?" Asked the rock. "You're giving me a real workout." It moved over to the button again. Nemo roller his eyes as he and Frisk walked over the bridge. The next room they found themselves had a tiny hole in the wall, a table with some cheese, and another glowing star. Nemo walked to the table and Frisk went to the star. Nemo was grossed out that the cheese was so old that it had glued itself to the table. A feeling of warmth suddenly washed over him, he looked over and saw Frisk putting their hand on the star.

Nemo gave a wide grin at his friend. "Let's get going kiddo." He said.

"Right!" Said Frisk as they caught up with him, the duo then continued to the next room. The next room was incredibly narrow with a ghost lying on a pile of leaves. The pair walked over to the ghost.

"ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ." Said the ghost.

"Why is it saying 'ZZZ' like that?" Asked Nemo.

"I think they're pretending to be asleep." Said Frisk.

"Ok, this isn't funny, fake naptime is over." Said Nemo as he tried to nudge the ghost with his foot. Doing so caused their souls to manifest.

Napstablook floated up and stared at them. "_Oh, I'm really funny._"Said the ghost glumly. Suddenly tears fell from their eyes and flew towards them.

"Time to run!" Said Nemo as he jumped out of the way. He managed to avoid most of the tears, save for one that struck him. He grit his teeth in pain, despite being tears, they burned. Nemo then turned and punched the ghost, though his hand passed through.

"_I'm fine, thanks._"They said.

"_Guess I shouldn't have expected my attacks to hurt a ghost." _Thought Nemo. He turned to Frisk. "Any ideas?"

"I'll try." Said Frisk as they stepped forward and Nemo moved aside. They stood before Napstablook and gave them a patient smile.

"_Heh._" Said the ghost as more tears flew at them.

"Crud, crud, crud, crud!" Shouted Nemo as he started to dodge. Fortunately they managed to avoid the tears this time.

Once the tears were done, they noticed that a small smile was on Napstablook's face. "Why didn't the ghost go to the party?" Asked Frisk.

"What?" Asked Nemo.

"_Why?_" Asked Napstablook.

"Because they had no-body to go with." Said Frisk.

Nemo let out a laugh at their joke. "_Heh, heh._" Said Napstablook. More tears flew at them but there were a lot less and they were slower. Nemo and Frisk saw that now Napstablook was giving a soft smile at them. "_Hey, let me show you something. One second." _Suddenly tears fell from their eyes, but went upward and formed a top hat.

"Wow, that's actually pretty impressive." Said Nemo. Frisk let out a cheer and clapped their hands.

"_I call it 'dapper blook'._" Explained Napstablook. "_Do you like it…?_"

"It's great!" Said Frisk.

"_Oh gee…_" Said Napstablook. "_I usually come to the Ruins because there's nobody around… but today I met somebody nice… oh, I'm rambling again. I'll get out of your way._" The ghost vanished, clearing their way.

"Well that was interesting, albeit a little painful." Said Nemo as he rubbed where the tear struck him. They started to walk, but realized there were two paths, forward, and left. "Left or right?"

"Let's go… right." Said Frisk.

"Then let's-a-go! Said Nemo as he did a funny running pose, making Frisk giggle before the pair continued onward. The new room had two spider webs on the wall. In front of them was a sign.

"Spider bake sale, all proceeds go to real spiders." Read Frisk.

"Do I even wanna know?" Asked Nemo with a confused expression. "Mmm. Nah, probably not."

Nemo walked over to the smaller web. "So, what? Do I just put money and they give me food?"

"I think so." Said Frisk. Nemo shrugged as he reached into his pocket and pulled out some gold coins. He then put coins in the web one by one, after putting seven coins in, some spiders crawled out and gave him a donut.

"Looks tasty." Said Nemo drily. He then broke it in half and gave one half to Frisk. Frisk smiled and took it, they then chomped down on their donut pieces. Once their snacks were gone, they looked around.

"Lets head back, I don't think there's anything more here." Said Frisk.

"Doesn't look like it." Said Nemo as he looked around. With that they continued into the previous room, then went right. The new room appeared to be a long hallway, there was a sign near the entrance.

"Did you miss it? Spider Bakesale down and to the right." Read Frisk. Nemo let out a chuckle at that.

"Well that certainly wasn't helpful." Said Nemo.

"Come eat food made by spiders, for spiders, of spiders!" Finished Frisk.

"Erk!" Said Nemo as he made a face. "Yuck…"

"Let's just go." Said Frisk with a face of discomfort.

"Yeah." Said Nemo. The pair continued onward.

**Page 2 End**


	3. Chapter 1, Page 3

They were about to go into the next room when suddenly their phone began to ring. Frisk pulled the phone out and held it between them. "Hello?" They asked.

"Hello? I just realized that it has been a while since I have cleaned up. I was not expecting to have company so soon. There already probably a lot of things lying about here and there, you can pick them up, but do not carry more than you need. Someday you might see something you really like. You will want to leave room in your pockets for that." Said Toriel over the phone. It then clicked as she hung up.

"O...k… that wasn't random at all." Said Nemo. Frisk put the phone away and they continued to the next room. There were more tunnels from underground, and six patches that Nemo recognized to be falling spots. Nemo turned and saw a sign. "Frisk, would you be so kind?" Asked Nemo.

"Aye aye!" Said Frisk as they ran over to the sign. "There is just one switch."

"Just one switch?" Asked Nemo. He looked around the room. "I don't see anything."

"Maybe it's underground? Asked Frisk as they pointed at one of the tunnels.

"That idea is as good as any." Said Nemo as he walked to the bottom left fall spot. "I'll check these, you check those."

"Got it." Said Frisk as they walked over and dropped into the top left pit.

Nemo dropped into his pit as well. Once down there, he looked around, but saw no switch. He did however find a faded ribbon. He bent over and picked it up, examining it in his hand. "Wonder how this got here?" Wondered Nemo. He put the ribbon in his pocket and started walking towards the exit tunnel. Suddenly his souls manifested in front of him as a Loox appeared. "Well, I didn't expect to find you down here." Said Nemo.

"Please don't pick on me." Said Loox. A bunch of bubbles linked in groups of three flew at Nemo, who dodged most of them, except for the last that struck him in the face. Nemo groaned as he rubbed his nose, then flared at the Loox.

"Get lost you walking soccer ball!" Shouted Nemo as he kicked the Loox, the creature slid back from the impact.

"I've got my eye on you." Said the Loox as a repeat of its attack came at him, fortunately he managed to avoid them this time. He swung his foot again, this time sending the Loox into the air. "I've got my eye on you." It repeated as its attack came again. Nemo dodged the attack and watched the monster fall to the ground. He glared at it as he watched the monster run away.

Nemo sighed as he climbed upwards.

"Find anything?" Asked Frisk as he reached the upper floor.

"A cyclops, it ran away." Said Nemo.

"I see." Said Frisk.

"I also found this thing." Said Nemo as he pulled out the ribbon.

"Oh! That looks pretty!" Said Frisk as their eyes sparkled.

"You think so?" Asked Nemo as he looked at the ribbon. "I'm honestly just amazed it's still in one piece."

"Can I have it?" Asked Frisk as they gave him a hopeful look.

"Go nuts." Said Nemo as he tossed the ribbon to them. They smiled brightly as they caught the ribbon. They then went to work trying to put it on their head but their expression became distraught when they were unable to successfully tie it. Nemo let out a small chuckle as he crouched to their eye level. "Here, let me kiddo."

"Thanks." Said Frisk with a slightly disappointed face.

"Here, let's get rid of these." Said Nemo as he removed the bandages on Frisk. He then slowly tied the ribbon around their head. "Hey Frisk, I've been meaning to ask."

"Yeah?" Asked Frisk.

"Are you a boy or a girl?" Asked Nemo.

Frisk was silent for a moment. "I'm… just Frisk." They said after a moment.

"Just Frisk huh?" Asked Nemo with a raised eyebrow. Frisk said nothing but slowly nodded. "Alrighty then. Frisk it is." He replied.

"But-." Started Frisk as they turned to look at him, but was stopped as Nemo put a hand on their head and directed it forward.

"Oi, head ahead, still working here." Said Nemo. Frisk stayed silent and kept their head forward. After a moment Nemo stood up and looked at his handiwork. Frisk stared up at him calmly and Nemo couldn't help but smile. He reached down and ruffled their hair. "On to the next holes!" Nemo then declared as he turned and made his way to the next pit. He turned and saw Frisk standing over a pit as well. "See you on the other side." He then gave her a little salute before falling into the pit.

Nemo landed in a pile of leaves. He then sat up and realized that Napstablook laid in front of him. "Oh. Hey there." He said.

"I fell down a hole… now I can't get up… go on without me… wait, ghosts can fly can't they… oh well." They said. They then vanished. Nemo let out a chuckle, then looked up as he heard a loud clicking noise. He grinned as he climbed up the tunnel. Once at the top, he barely had to wait as Frisk soon joined him.

"Found the lever." They said with a smile.

"Good job kiddo. I found Napstablook." Said Nemo as he nodded his head towards the hole he jumped into.

"Really?" Asked Frisk.

"Yeah, they fell down, then remembered that they could fly and then vanished." Explained Nemo.

"I see…" Said Frisk.

"Anyway, let's get going." Said Nemo as he nodded to the exit.

"Yeah." Said Frisk with a smile. With that the pair continued forward.

The next room had pillars with weird colored switches next to them. Nemo turned and saw a sign on the wall. "Frisk, your assistance is required." Said the taller human.

Frisk walked over to the wall carving. "The far dood is not an exit. It simply marks a rotation in perspective." They read.

"These signs make less sense each time." Said Nemo with a flat expression. He turned and saw that the entrance to the next room was open. "C'mon."

They continued to the next room. It was full of switches and pillars, just like the prior one. They continued to walk and went around the corner. That was when they noticed that the doorway to the next room was blocked with spikes. "If you can read this, press the blue switch." Said Frisk. Nemo turned and saw them standing in front of another wall carving. Nemo looked and saw the blue switch in question. He walked over and flipped it, the spikes blocking the next room retracted into the ground.

"Onward." Said Nemo dramatically. Frisk smiles and rolled their eyes before they continued forward.

They were stopped however, when their souls manifested and a Misgosp and a Vegitoid appeared before them. "Heed the swarm." Said the Misgop menacingly.

Suddenly a swarm of bugs and vegetables flew at the pair. Nemo and Frisk ran quickly to avoid the attacks Frisk managed to get away and their soul retracted while Nemo avoided the vegetables, and a lone fly struck Nemo, he let out a cry of pain, as some blood cane from the wound. He growled and struck the Misgop, it showed a face of pain but survived the attack. They attacked again and Nemo dodged most save for a flying onion to the side of the head. Nemo rubbed his head before kicking the Vegetoid across the room.

More bugs attacked at the sides while a rain of carrots came down. Nemo jumped and rolled forward, avoiding the attacks, before doing a sweeping kick at the Misgop. The bug monster groaned as it became dust and vanished.

Another rain of carrots came down, but Nemo found a safe spot and evaded the attacks. Nemo brought his foot up and kicked the cackling Vegetoid into the air.

More vegetables cane flying at him, and save for a tomato to the leg, which stung like crazy, he evaded the attacks, he then punched the Vegetoid out of the air, dusting the vegetable monster. The pair continued forward, repeating the process in the next room with the red switch. Before the could leave however, a pair of Loox attacked them. Their souls manifested as they looked at the cyclops duo.

Nemo ran forward and attacked the first Loox with a punch. "Don't pick on me." Said both monsters in sync. The duo summoned a barrage of bubbles that flew at Frisk and Nemo, who ran and dodged the attacks.

"Frisk get going to the next room!" Shouted Nemo. "I'll deal with these two!" Once the monsters' attack abated Nemo charged at them, then punched the first Loox again.

"How about a staring contest?" They asked as more bubbles came flying. Out of the corner of Nemo's eye, he saw Frisk's soul vanish as they went into the next room. Nemo grunted in pain as a bubble struck him. He growled and charged at the second Loox, striking it with a kick. Then more bubbles came at him. He moved quickly but got struck in his arm and leg by two of the bubbles. He growled as he punched the second Loox again.

"Quit staring at me." Whispered the second Loox as more bubbles were fired at him. He managed to avoid them, jumping in the air and in front of the monster duo, glaring down at them. The monsters whimpered and ran away. Nemo let out a tired breath, then staggered into the next room, feeling exhausted from his accumulated injuries.

"Nemo! Cried Frisk as he entered the next room, and leaned on the wall for support.

"Hey kiddo." Groaned Nemo as Frisk ran to him and he sat down against the wall. "Don't worry about me, I'm just peachy."

"You are not 'just peachy'! You're bleeding!" Cried Frisk.

Nemo looked down to see blood coming from the arm and leg that's recently been struck. "Huh, guess I am. That doesn't look good." He said. "Well, we should get going, we're probably getting close to Toriel's house, or maybe one of those stars? Whatever those do, they seem to help."

"Just stay here, I can deal with the puzzle of this room." Said Frisk.

"Dang it Frisk I'm fine, what if another monster attacks you." Said Nemo as he tried to stand up, but was stopped as Frisk poked him in the forehead with their stick. "Oi. Stop that." He tried to stand up again and was poke again. "Frisk!" This went back and forth a few times.

"You're resting." Said Frisk firmly.

"Fine." Said Nemo as he leaned back against the wall with a pout. Frisk smiled as they went to work, first reading the carving and then flipping a switch behind one of the pillars. As they worked, Nemo pulled out the piece of monster candy he's picked up earlier. "Almost forgot about this thing." He thought as he popped the candy into his mouth. As soon as he swallowed the candy, he actually began to feel better, he looked down and saw that some of his wounds had mostly, if not completely healed. "What the-?" He wondered. He tried to stand and did so with little difficulty. He then heard a clicking sound, he looked and saw Frisk walking to him.

"Nemo, I told you to stay put, you're injured." They said.

"Not anymore." Said Nemo as he extended his formerly injured arm.

"How did that happen?" They asked.

"I ate that candy." Said Nemo. "And then some of my injuries healed. Now let's get going."

"Alright. But don't overwork yourself." They told him with their hands on their hips.

"Yeah, yeah." Said Nemo as he waved his hand and the duo walked to the next room. The hallway in the next room split off to the left and right. "I believe we should go the right way." Joked Nemo.

"Very funny." Said Frisk with a small smile as they took the right path and through the door at the end of it into the next room it lead to.

They saw a large castle in front of them. "What in the-?" Asked Nemo. He looked to his left and saw a toy knife on the ground. "Why is this here? Did someone drop it?"

"I'm not sure." Said Frisk as they looked back at the castle. "But I think we should go back, I don't like this place."

"Alright, alright, if ya say so kiddo." Replied Nemo as he put the knife in one of the loops of his belt. The pair then turned and went back the way they came before reaching the crossroads, this time opting for the path that had yet to be taken. The room they found themselves in was rather large. A large tree sat near the front with all of its red leaves strewn around it. Frisk and Nemo continued to walk forward.

"Oh dear, that took longer than I thought it would." Said a familiar voice. Toriel walked up to them. "How did you get here my children? Are you hurt?"

"I mean, not anymore." Said Nemo.

"There, there, I will heal you." She said. She extended her hand warm feeling passed over them as the last of Nemo's injuries vanished. "I should not have left you alone for so long. It was irresponsible to try and surprise you like this."

"Surprise?" Asked Nemo in confusion.

"Err…" Said Toriel as she made an embarrassed expression. "Well, I suppose I cannot hide it any longer. Come, small one!" She then began to walk away to where she came from. Nemo and Frisk followed her. They soon reached a small house with a small star in front of it, Frisk reached down and touched the star as another feeling of warmth passed over them. Nemo looked down at them and smiled before they entered the house.

_**Page 3 End**_


	4. Chapter 1, Page 4

Toriel stood before Nemo and Frisk inside the house. "Do you smell that? Surprise!" She said cheerfully. "It is butterscotch-cinnamon pie. I thought we should celebrate your arrival. I want you to have a nice time living here. So I will hold off on snail pie for tonight."

"Snail what?" Thought Nemo with a face of discomfort as he looked at Frisk, who simply shrugged.

"Here, I have another surprise for you." Said Toriel as she walked to the right and down a hall. Frisk and Nemo followed her. She waited for them in the hall and held out her hand. "This is it." Frisk smiled and took the hand and walked with her down the hall, Nemo close behind with his hands in his pockets. They stopped in front of the first door. "A room of your own, I'm afraid you will have to share, but I hope you will like it."

"Thanks." Said Nemo.

"I love it Ms. Toriel." Said Frisk happily.

"Please, just call me Toriel." Said Toriel as she pat Frisk's head. She then smelled the air and turned the way they'd come. "Is something burning…? Um, make yourself at home!" She then quickly walked away. Nemo watched her go, he then heard a clicking noise. He turned and saw Frisk push the door open. They then walked into the room, and Nemo followed suit. The room had red walls, the bed had red blankets, honestly, the entire room was red and white.

"Wow, too much red." Said Nemo drily. He looked over at Frisk. "You red-y for bed?" He did his best to restrain his smirk. Frisk sighed and shook their head while walking to the bed. "You can take the bed kiddo, I'll just sleep on the floor."

"Are you sure?" Asked Frisk with a concerned expression.

"Hey, don't worry about it." Said Nemo as he gave them a nonchalant wave. Frisk gave a small to him before climbing into the bed. Nemo watched them go under the covers before looking around the room. There was a box of cool toys, but he wasn't interested in them. There was a shelf with an empty, dusty photo frame, and a box of kids shoes of varied sizes. Nemo then turned to the lamp next to the box and turned the light off before putting his back against the wall and sitting down. He cast one last look at Frisk before shutting his eyes and accepting the warm embrace of the land of dreams.

_**Three days later**_

Nemo was lying on the roof of the house with both arms crossed behind his head as his foot rested on the knee of his opposite leg. His eyes were shut as he was lost in thought. "Nemo!" He heard a voice call, but he did not react to. There was a thumping sound as Frisk came onto the roof. "Nemo. Toriel told me to get you, it's time for dinner." They explained, but Nemo didn't react. And expression of worry crossed Frisk's face. "Nemo?"

"Hey Frisk, I have a question." Said Nemo without looking at them.

"What is it?" Asked the younger human.

"Do you remember your parents?" Asked Nemo.

"That's a silly question, of course I… do…" Said Frisk, but trailed off as their expression became that of concern. "Not…"

Nemo let out a huff, almost like one of amusement, but with another emotion that couldn't be described mixed in. "And it isn't just your parents is it? Tell me Frisk, can you remember one personal experience? Anything?" He asked as he sat up and looked at Frisk, the eyes of the younger human widening as they saw the tears welling in his eyes. "Because I can't, I don't know who I am or who I was, I can't even remember my own last name! I'm just Nemo now, and it hurts, and I don't know why because I don't know how many people I've forgotten or even if I had people to forget." Nemo's hand rose to his face and covered his eyes and pushed some of his hair back. Suddenly he felt arms wrap around him. Nemo lowered his hand to see Frisk hugging him.

"It's ok Nemo, I've got you." They said.

A weak smile came to Nemo's face. "How pathetic, they're in the same boat as me and yet here they are comforting me." He thought. The smile then faded with his next line of thought. "Frisk is all I have left, I need to protect them, and there's only one way to do that." He then stood up.

"Nemo?" Asked Frisk.

"Frisk, get ready, we're leaving the ruins." Said Nemo.

"What? Why?!" They exclaimed.

"Frisk, we need to get back to the surface, we can't stay here, we're not monsters, it isn't safe for us." Said Nemo.

"But…" Said Frisk uncertainly.

Nemo put his hands on their shoulders. "Frisk, I need you to trust me, please?" He asked. Frisk closed their eyes and let out a breath, then they opened their eyes and looked at him before giving a small smile and a nod. Nemo smiles back at them. "Great, let's go." He then climbed down off the roof and in front of where the glowing spinning star was.

A moment passed, then Frisk cane falling down and into a pile of leaves nearby. Nemo sighed and shook his head with a smile before walking to the pile. He looked down to see Frisk laying in the leaves with a small smile on their face. Nemo rolled his eyes before extending his hand down to them. Frisk took the hand and Nemo pulled them up. They then started walking into the home, Frisk briefly stopping to run their hand over the glowing star, Nemo watched them with a neutral expression as they entered the house.

They then walked into the living room, where Toriel sat in her chair reading a book. She looked up at them when they entered and smiled. "Ah, hello my children, your dinner is on the table." She said as she gestured to the table that had two plates of cooked food on it.

"Hey Toriel." Greeted Nemo. "I… have a question."

"Oh? What is it Nemo?" She asked.

"We… Frisk and I… we need to go home." Said Nemo.

"What?" Asked Toriel with a surprised face. "This… this is your home now."

"No. It's not. Toriel I appreciate everything you've done for us, you gave us somewhere to stay, you fed us, you made it so monsters wouldn't attack us, and I'll forever be grateful to you for that. But we need to go back to the surface, we don't belong here." Said Nemo calmly.

Toriel was quiet for a moment. "I have something to do. Stay here." She said as she put her glasses and book down. She then stood up and walked away.

"T-Toriel wait!" Said Nemo as he extended his hand at her, but it was too late and the large monster woman was gone.

"Nemo?" Asked Frisk as they looked up at him.

Nemo's eyes narrowed slightly. "Let's go." He said as he followed Toriel with Frisk in close pursuit. He vaulted over the rail and down the stairs after Toriel, soon he and Frisk were at the bottom of the steps in a purple corridor. The pair then started moving down the hall after the female goat monster. They didn't get far before reaching her.

Toriel stood with her back facing them. "You wish to return 'home' do you not?" She asked. "Ahead of us is lies the end of the Ruins. A one-way exit to the rest of the underground. I am going to destroy it."

"What!?" Exclaimed Nemo.

"No one will ever be able to leave again." She continued. "Now be good children and go upstairs." She then continued walking, and Nemo and Frisk followed after her.

They soon met up with her further down the hall. "Every human that falls down here meets the same fate." She told them. "I have seen it again and again. They come. They leave. They die." Nemo's eyes widened at his eyes and a frown was across his face. "You naive children… if you leave the Ruins. They… Asgore… will kill you. I am only protecting you, do you understand?"

"Yeah, I understand." Said Nemo as he clenched his fist.

This made Toriel turn and look at him as she started to smile. "That is good, then let us-." She started, but was cut off.

"But I don't care!" Nemo shouted are her. Her eyes widened at this. He swiped his hand in front of him. "I already promised Frisk that I would take them back to the surface." He then jabbed a thumb at himself. "And I'll do whatever it takes to do that, even if that means by the time we're out, my hands are stained white of the dust of every monster down here. And if this 'Asgore' wants to kill us." He then stomped his foot on the ground in front of him and shouted. "Then I say bring it on!" After finishing his rant, he was panting. Toriel said nothing, but instead continued forward.

"Nemo?" Asked Frisk softly. Nemo sighed and wrapped an arm around Frisk's head, pulling them close.

"Don't worry kiddo, leave everything to me." Said Nemo.

"Please. Don't kill her." They said.

Nemo was quiet for a moment before sighing. "I'll try." He said.

"No, saying you'll try isn't enough!" They said as they pushed away from him and looked him in the eye. "You have to promise that you won't kill her."

Nemo looked at them for a moment. Then he put a hand on their head and smiled. "I promise kiddo." Frisk smiled at him after he said that. He then gestured to the way Toriel went with his head. "Now let's go, before Toriel destroys the exit."

"Right!" Said Frisk as they took off down the hallway. They soon found themselves at the end of the hall, which was wider than the rest. On the back wall was a large door, and before it stood Toriel.

She faced the door and spoke without looking at them. "You want to leave so badly?" She asked. "Hmph. You are just like the others. There is only one solution to this. Prove yourself… prove to me you are strong enough to survive."

"Frisk, get back." Said Nemo as he extended his hand to them. They nodded as they took a few steps back. Then Toriel turned and faced them as Nemo's soul manifested.

Toriel extended her hands as fire rained down at Nemo, who was quick to act as he rushed forward and punched Toriel in the stomach before springing back. She then waved her arms to the sides, creating fire balls that bounced around the room. Nemo did his best to dodge as he kicked her side, then hissed in pain as a fireball grazed his arm. He could hear Frisk gasp behind him. He then swung his fist and struck Toriel's other side. At this point he wasn't even sure if he was hurting her, because she barely reacted to his strikes. It went back and forth like this a few more times. He'd attack, then retreat as more fire was sent his way, and every so often one of the fireballs would graze an arm or a leg.

Suddenly a burst of fire struck his chest and he was sent rolling across the ground. He groaned as he stood up and put a hand over his chest, his shirt slightly singed from her attack.

"Toriel this is pointless. I'm not going to stop and you won't kill me, now give up!" He said. But there was no response as more fire rained down at him. He growled at this as he ran towards the left wall, getting out of the storm of fire. Toriel Aimed a hand at him and fired a ball of fire at him, which he dodged by jumping onto the wall, then springing off of it straight at her with a fist raised. "If that how you want to play it!" He shouted as fire pelted him from above. "Then I'm more than glad to oblige!" He then punched her in the jaw, making her stagger. He groaned as he landed face down on the ground in front of her. He groaned as he pushed himself onto his hands and knees. "How… was... that?" He wheezed. Toriel then fell to her knees, causing Nemo's eyes widened in shock.

"Toriel!" Shouted Frisk as they ran to them. They stopped next to them and knelt down.

"Urgh…" Groaned Toriel.

"No." Said Nemo.

"You are stronger than I thought…" She said.

"Stop it." Said Nemo.

"Listen to me, small ones…" She continued

"Toriel stop. I promised Frisk I wouldn't kill you. Don't do this." Said Nemo as tears welled in his eyes.

"If you keep going beyond this door, keep waking as far as you can. Eventually you will reach an exit." She said.

"This isn't funny, get up." Said Nemo.

"Asgore…" She said. "Do not let Asgore take your soul. His plan cannot be allowed to succeed." Tears welled in her eyes as she looked down. "Be good, won't you?" She then smiled. "My… children…" were her last words before her body became dust. When she once was Nemo saw a white upside down heart, which cracked and shattered.

"Was that her soul?" He wondered. He then remembered who was also there. "Frisk?" He asked as he turned to look at them.

They knelt on the ground, with their head forward so he couldn't see their face, but he could see the pool of water forming beneath her face. "She's gone." They said.

"Frisk I-." Said Nemo as he reached for them.

"You promised." They said. Suddenly they a bright white light began to emanate from them.

"Frisk?" Asked Nemo worriedly.

"You promised!" They shouted. Suddenly the entire room was engulfed in white, and then black.

**Page 4 End**


	5. Chapter 1, Page 5

Nemo looked around in confusion. "What… happened?" He asked. They were standing in front of the house, on the pile of leaves that had the glowing star atop it. He heard a sob. He looked to his right to see Frisk on their knees crying. He crouched down next to them. "Frisk?"

"You promised you wouldn't kill her." They said.

Nemo felt a stab of guilt from that. "I know. I didn't mean to. I'm sorry." He said.

"Sorry isn't good enough. You broke your promise." Said Frisk as they then sat down and brought their knees to their chest.

"You're right Frisk." Said Nemo as he went on his knees and knelt his head forward. "Saying sorry won't solve anything, I promise that I'll do whatever it takes to make it up to you."

"You can do that right now." Said Frisk as they stood up and took his hand.

"What do you mean?" Asked Nemo as they pulled on him and he stood up. He then followed them as they walked into the house. They lead him into the living room and Nemo looked over at Toriel's chair. His eyes widened as a sound like glass shattering went off in his head.

Toriel sat in her chair reading a book. She looked up at them when they entered and smiled. "Ah, hello my children, your dinner is on the table." She said as she gestured to the table that had two plates of cooked food on it. Nemo's breath caught in his throat as he put his hand over his mouth. Nemo staggered backwards and around the wall out of Toriel's sight. "My child!?" He heard Toriel say worriedly.

"Don't worry! I've got him!" Said Frisk as they ran over to him.

Nemo was sitting with his back against the wall as he tried to calm his breathing and avoid a panic attack. After a moment he was able to calm down and he looked at Frisk. "What… did you… do?" He asked.

"I… don't know." Said Frisk as they looked down, their bangs casting a shadow over their eyes. "I was so upset about what happened to Toriel and I felt determined to stop that from happening. Suddenly we were here and I somehow… knew that I'd fixed things."

"You… reversed time itself… through sheer determination?" Asked Nemo slowly.

"Yeeaah?" Said Frisk slowly.

The back of Nemo's head hit the wall. "Sure. Why not?" He asked.

"You're… not upset? Or afraid?" Asked Frisk in surprise as they looked back up at him.

"No, those aren't the words I'd use. Surprised? Sure. Questioning my sanity? Most definitely. But I'd hardly say I'm upset or afraid, at least when it comes to you." Said Nemo. Frisk said nothing but instead just smiled at him softly. Nemo sighed and used a hand to ruffle their hair before standing up. "Let's go Frisk, and this time, I'll get us out of here the right way."

"Ok." Said Frisk. With that the pair walked back into the living room where Toriel sat with a concerned expression on her face.

"My child are you alright?" She asked worriedly.

"Yeah, it was nothing. Don't worry about it." Said Nemo with a small grin. Then that grin vanished. "Actually, there is something we need to talk about."

"What is it my child?" Asked Toriel.

"We appreciate everything that you've done for us, but Frisk and I need to go home." Said Nemo.

"What? But this-." Started Toriel.

"No it's not. Look, you gave us somewhere to stay, you fed us, you made it so monsters wouldn't attack us, and I'll forever be grateful to you for that. But we need to go back to the surface, we don't belong here." Said Nemo calmly, doing his best to shake off the serious feeling of deja vu.

Toriel was quiet for a moment. "I have something to do. Stay here." She said as she put her glasses and book down. She then stood up and walked away.

Nemo watched her leave. "It's time." He said calmly. "And don't worry Frisk, this time I won't go back on my promise." They nodded their head, then the pair took off after Toriel. They met her at the bottom of the stairs.

She stood with her back facing them. "You wish to return 'home' do you not?" She asked. "Ahead of us is lies the end of the Ruins. A one-way exit to the rest of the underground. I am going to destroy it. No one will ever be able to leave again. Now be good children and go upstairs." She then continued forward.

"Watching this happen all over again is so disturbing." Commented Nemo as they walked after Toriel.

"I know what you mean." Said Frisk. They soon caught up with Toriel.

"Every human that falls down here meets the same fate." She told them. "I have seen it again and again. They come. They leave. They die. You naive children… if you leave the Ruins. They… Asgore… will kill you. I am only protecting you, do you understand? Go to your room."

Nemo frowned at her words. "That name again. Who is Asgore?" He wondered. Then he and Frisk followed after her.

They caught up with her at the corner. "Do not try to stop me." She said. "This is your final warning." She continued to the entrance.

"Here we go." Said Nemo. "Wish me luck."

"I'm sure you won't need it." Said Frisk. They continued onwards and soon found themselves at the end of the hall, which was wider than the rest. On the back wall was a large door, and before it stood Toriel.

She faced the door and spoke without looking at them. "You want to leave so badly?" She asked. "Hmph. You are just like the others. There is only one solution to this. Prove yourself… prove to me you are strong enough to survive." A grim expression was on Nemo's face as Frisk waited behind him. Suddenly a look of confusion crossed Toriel's face. "...why are you looking at me like that? Like you have seen a ghost." Nemo's eyes widened at her words. "Do you know something I do not? No… that is impossible." Nemo's jaw clenched at her words and his eyes narrowed. Suddenly Toriel created a rain of fire above Nemo and then brought it down at him, he dodged out of their way. Once they were gone, he stood up straight and glared at Toriel, but made no movement. Toriel said nothing as she summoned another fire rain, Nemo dodged again, avoiding most of the flames, except for one that grazed his arm.

Nemo winced slightly at the pain. He looked at his arm. "Weird, doesn't hurt as much this time." He thought. Suddenly more fire came down a third time. Nemo turned and leapt out of the way, he was moving faster now than he was before. "Not only that, I'm becoming faster." This time he evaded the flames with ease. Toriel swiped her hand in front of her creating a row of fire that rushed forward and converged on Nemo. He moved backwards and to the left, he raised his right arm as the flames moved under it, then the flames struck the back wall before rebounding back at him, one of the fireballs struck his back. Nemo fell forward and the other fireballs moved over him.

"What are you doing?" Asked Toriel. Suddenly more fire began to rain down. Nemo inhaled sharply before rolling to his left and jumping to his feet, narrowly dodging the flames. Another rain of fire came down and Nemo ran trying to avoid them, but got struck in the left shoulder and the right side of his face. Nemo stopped in the center of the room and looked at Toriel. "Attack or run away!" Toriel swiped both arms at once. Two rows of flames appeared this time, one in front of Nemo and one behind. The two sets of fire flew at Nemo. He charged at the first set and leapt into the air and over it before hitting the ground and rolling, stopping close in front of Toriel, the second set of fire flew over his head. Nemo stood up and looked at Toriel, his head bent backwards slightly so that he could see her face. "What are you proving this way?!" Demanded Toriel.

"I'm proving my strength." Said Nemo. Toriel swiped her hand again and more fire flew his way. He dodged to his right, the flames bounced off of the back wall, then the right wall, then one of the fireballs struck Nemo in the back of his head.

"Ow!" Hissed Nemo as he held the back of his head. He then glared at Toriel

"Fight me or leave!" Said Toriel as she waved her arm again. This time the fire scattered across the room in random directions. Nemo stayed in the same spot and simply leaned in different directions managing to evade all the flames. "Stop it." Another rain of flames came down, but Nemo didn't move and they all missed him, he gave her a look of pity. "Stop looking at me that way." Another rain came down. Nemo sighed and slowly started walking forward. Few more fireballs struck him, causing small grunts of pain to come from him. "Go away." The flames kept coming down but they never hit him, Nemo soon found himself directly in front of Toriel. Toriel held up a flame filled hand at Nemo. "I know you want to go home, but please… go up stairs now. I will take good care of you here. I know we do not have much, but… we can have a good life here." She gave him a soft smile. "Why are you making this so difficult? Please, go upstairs." Nemo stared at her flatly.

"Frisk, come here." He said calmly. Frisk walked from the entrance to the room next to Nemo, their red soul manifesting.

Toriel gave a sad smile. "Ha ha… pathetic, is it not? I cannot even save two children." She looked away for a moment, then looked back at them. "No, I understand. You would just be unhappy trapped down here. The Ruins are small once you get used to them. It would not be right for you to grow up in a place like this. My expectations… my loneliness… my fear… for you, my children… I will put them aside." Suddenly their souls vanished. Toriel looked back at the exit. "If you truly wish to leave the Ruins… I will not stop you. However, when you leave… please do not come back." Said Toriel. At her words, Nemo's eyes widened slightly. "I hope you understand." Toriel turned them. This action shocked Nemo. He bit his lip to keep it from trembling as a lone tear went down his cheek. She then released them and looked at them with a soft smile. "Goodbye, my children." With that, Toriel went back the way they came, and Frisk and Nemo were alone once more.

"Thank you, and goodbye…" Whispered Nemo, "Toriel."

Suddenly he felt something tug his hand. He turned and saw Frisk holding his hand. "Thank you, for keeping your promise." They said.

Nemo stared at them quietly for a moment before wiping his eyes and giving them a grin. "No problem kiddo." With that, Frisk walked forward while still holding his hand and pushed them door open. Then the pair continued forward down the path. The path was long, and the ground became lighter as they continued forward, and they soon found themselves in front of a large opening. They walked through and found themselves looking at a familiar and unfriendly face. "Clever. Verrrryyy clever." Said Flowey. "You think you're real smart don't you? In this world, it's kill or be killed. So you were able to play by your own rules." Nemo glared at the flower. "You spared the life of a single person." Suddenly his face became rather creepy. "Hee hee hee… but don't act so cocky. I know what you did. You murdered her." As he said that, he transformed his face to look similar to Toriel's. Nemo's eyes widened in shock. "And you went back, because you regretted it." Nemo clenched his fist. "Ha Ha Ha Ha…" Flowey did another unsettling face. "You naive idiot. Do you think you are the only one with that power? The power to reshape the world… purely by your own determination. The ability to play God! The ability to 'Save'." Flowey's face returned your normal. "I thought I was the only one with that power. But… I can't Save anymore. Apparently your desires for this world override mine." His face then became creepy again. "Well well. Enjoy that power while you can. I'll be watching."

"Shut up you stupid weed!" Shouted Nemo as he leapt at Flowey. The flower laughed maniacally as it disappeared into the ground. Nemo groaned as he face planted and rolled across the ground.

"Nemo!" Exclaimed Frisk as they ran to him.

Nemo groaned as he sat up. "I'm fine." He said.

"Let's just go." They said. Nemo nodded his head as he stood up. Together the two then walked out the exit and onward to the next step in their journey.

_**DUALTALE**_

**Page 5 End**

_**Chapter 1 End**_


	6. Chapter 2, Page 1

Nemo and Frisk looked around. "Frisk?" Asked Nemo calmly.

"Yeah?" Asked Frisk.

"We're _under_ground right?" Asked Nemo.

"Yes." Said Frisk.

"Ok, just wanted to clarify that, so tell me." Said Nemo before shouting. "_How _is it _snowing_!?"

Frisk was quiet for a moment. "Magic?" They asked while turning their head to look at him.

Nemo sighed. "Sure. _Whyyy_ not?" He asked in exasperation. Frisk giggled at his antics. Nemo then brought a hand up and adjusted his scarf. "Alright kiddo, let's-a go." This caused more giggling as the pair made their way forward. It was a rather bland walk for a while.

Eventually they came across a large stick in the path. Frisk tried to pick it up, but it was too heavy for them. Nemo then bent down and picked the thing up like it was nothing and slung it over his shoulder. He whistled as he examined the thing for a moment. "This thing is huge, it could probably do some real damage." He said. Frisk gave him a concerned look. "Buuut," Nemo tossed it over his shoulder, the snow letting out a soft crunching sound where the stick landed, "I'm more of a melee fighter to be honest." Frisk sighed and shook their head while smiling at his goofiness. The pair then continued forward. They walked for a bit, when they heard a sound behind them. Nemo stopped in place and looked behind them, but saw nothing, then continued forward.

They soon found themselves in front of a bridge with a weird arch offer it. Suddenly they both felt a chill run their back as they froze in place. They could hear footsteps approaching them from behind, getting louder with each step. Soon who or whatever was there was directly behind them.

"_**Humans.**_" They said. "_**Don't you know how to greet a new pal?**_" Nemo's fists clenched as he began to sweat bullets. "_**Turn around and shake my hand.**_" Nemo was about to turn around and attack but Frisk beat him to the punch as they turned and grabbed the extended hand of the person behind them. Nemo's eyes widened as he expected the worst. The worst not being the sound of a whoopie cushion. Nemo blinked as he turned to see who it was behind them.

"_Heheh… the old whoopie cushion in the hand trick._" It was a skeleton, he stood at a height that was just between Nemo and Frisk's. He had a blue hoodie, a white shirt, black shorts, and gray slippers. "_It's _always _funny. Anyways, guys are humans, right? That's hilarious._" Suddenly Nemo let out a wheezing sound as he bent over and clutched his chest with both hands. "_Woah, you ok there kid? It looks like you've been __**chilled to the bone**__." _

Nemo ignored the pun. "What the heck dude? You trying to give us a heart attack? I thought you were some creature of nightmares that was going to kill us." He said.

"_Wow kid, __**tibia **__honest that was not the reaction I was expecting._" Said the skeleton.

"What kind of reaction were you expecting!?" Nemo almost screeched.

The skeleton simply shrugged. "_Anyway, Im Sans, Sans the skeleton. I'm actually supposed to be on watch for humans right now._" Nemo stiffened at that. "_But… y'know… I don't really care about capturing anybody._"

"_Stop doing that!" _Nemo mentally screeched.

"_Now my brother, Papyrus… he's a human-hunting _fanatic_._" Said Sans. This caused Nemo's eyes widened as a mental of a nightmarish skeleton with a look of a killer entered his mind. "_Hey, actually, I think that's him over there._" This made Nemo jump in place. "_I have an idea. Go through this gate thingy. Yeah, go right through. My bro made the bars too wide to stop anyone._" A comically large drop of sweat appeared on the side of Nemo's head at that. The three of them then walked a little bit further and reached an opening with a lamp, two boulders, and a large wooden… something. "_Quick, begins that conveniently-shaped lamp. And you can hide behind my station._" Said Sans.

"_Is _that _what that is?" _Wondered Nemo as the pair hid behind their instructed spots.

Suddenly there was a loud sound of crunching snow. Nemo peeked around the corner of the station just as a skeleton wearing the most gaudy outfit ever that didn't match what Nemo envisioned at all appeared. "_Sup, bro?_" Asked Sans.

"_YOU KNOW WHAT 'SUP,' BROTHER!_" Said the taller skeleton loudly. "_IT'S BEEN ELEVEN DAYS AND YOU STILL HAVEN'T… RECALIBRATED. YOUR. PUZZLES!_"

"_I guess the concept of volume control escapes this guy." _Thought Nemo.

"_YOU JUST HANG AROUND OUTSIDE YOUR STATION! WHAT _ARE _YOU EVEN DOING?!_" Said Papyrus.

"_Staring at this lamp. It's really cool. Do you wanna look?_" Asked Sans.

Nemo inhaled sharply at that. "_That little smiley freak! He tricked us!" _He thought.

"_NO! I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THAT!_" Said Papyrus as he stomped his foot. "_WHAT IF A HUMAN COMES THROUGH HERE!? I WANT TO BE READY! I WILL BE THE ONE! I MUST BE THE ONE! I WILL CAPTURE A HUNAN! THEN, I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS…_" as he said that he struck a pose as his scarf blew in the wind, "_WILL GET ALL THE THINGS I UTTERLY DESERVE! RESPECT… RECOGNITION… I WILL FINALLY BE ABLE TO JOIN THE ROYAL GUARD!_"

"_There's a royal guard? There's royalty down here?" _Wondered Nemo.

"_PEOPLE WILL ASK, TO, BE MY, 'FRIEND?' I WILL BATHE IN A SHOWER OF KISSES EVERY MORNING._" Said Papyrus.

"_Good grief." _Thought Nemo.

"_Hmm…_ _maybe this lamp will help you._" Said Sans. At this Nemo's grip on the edge of the station tightened.

"_SANS! YOU ARE NOT HELPING! YOU LAZYBONES! ALL YOU DO IS SIT AND BOONDOGGLE!" _Said Papyrus as he resumed stamping on the ground.

"_Boon-wha?"_ Thought Nemo.

"_YOU GET LAZIER AND LAZIER EVERY DAY!_" Shouted Papyrus.

"_Hey, take it easy. I've gotten a _ton _of work done today. __**A skele-ton.**_" Said Sans with a wink. Nemo covered his mouth as he surprised the urge to laugh.

"_SANS!_" Shouted Papyrus.

"_Come on. You're smiling._" Said Sans.

"_I AM AND I HATE IT!_" Replied Papyrus. He sighed. "_WHY DOES SOMEONE AS GREAT AS ME… HAVE TO DO SO MUCH JUST TO GET SOME RECOGNITION…_"

"_Wow, sounds like you're really working yourself… __**down to the bone.**_" Said Sans. It was getting harder to avoid laughing.

"_UGH… I WILL ATTEND TO MY PUZZLES… AS FOR YOUR WORK? PUT A LITTLE MORE, 'BACKBONE' INTO IT! NYEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE!" _Laughed Papyrus as he ran off. He then turned and came back for a brief moment. "_HEH!_"

Once he was gone, Sans turned to where the others were hiding. "_Ok, you can come out now._" With that the dam broke and Nemo was on the ground laughing. "_You oughta get going, he might come back and if he does… you'll have to sit through more of my hilarious jokes." _Said Sans with a wink. After a moment Nemo collected himself and got to his feet.

"Thank you Sans." Said Frisk politely

"Yeah thanks Sans, see you around." Said Nemo with a wave as he and Frisk departed from the smiling skeleton.

"_Actually, hey…" _Said Sans, causing them to stop. "_Hate to bother ya, but can you do me a favor? I was thinking… my brother's been kinda down lately… he's never seen a human before, and seeing you might just make his day. Don't worry, he's not dangerous. Even if he tries to be._"

He felt a tugging on his sleeve, he turned his head to see Frisk looking at him with puppy dog eyes. Nemo sighed and rolled his eyes. "Fiiine." He groaned.

"_Thanks a million. I'll be up ahead._" Said Sans as he walked the exact opposite direction. Nemo raised an eyebrow but didn't question it as he and Frisk continued forward.

They soon found themselves in front of another one of those stars, Frisk gently touched it and Nemo could feel his injuries fade. "Thanks kiddo." Said Nemo with a smile. Frisk smiled back at him.

They then went north and found themselves at a river, near the bank was a fishing rod affixed to the ground with the line cast into the water. Curious, Nemo grabbed the rod and reeled it in. The line came in and attached to the hook they saw a picture of a weird looking monster, with a note that read 'call me.' Nemo made a face as he cast the line back into the water.

The duo went back and found themselves in front of a box with a sign next to it. "This is a box." Read Frisk. "You can put items inside or take them out. The same box will appear later, so don't worry about coming back. Sincerely, a box lover."

Nemo raised an eyebrow as he opened the box, all he found inside was a pair of tough gloves. "Well I guess it's a useful way to get rid of this stuff." He said as he dropped the toy knife and the bandage inside.

"You kept those?" Asked Frisk.

"What? Did you expect me to just litter?" Asked Nemo.

"There were trash cans at the house you know." Said Frisk.

Nemo blinked at them for a moment before coughing into his fist. "Right! I knew that…" He mumbled. Frisk giggled at him.

"Shush." Said Nemo as he took the gloves out and examined them. "You want these?" He asked as he held the gloves out to Frisk.

"No thanks, I'll just stick to what I have." They replied, causing Nemo to let out a huff of amusement. "What?" They asked.

"You'll _stick_ to what you have?" Asked Nemo as he pointed to the stick in their hand.

"Oh no." Said Frisk as they put a hand over their eyes. "You've corrupted me with your awful jokes."

"Hey, that's not bad, it just means you're _branch_ing out with your vocabulary." Said Nemo.

"Stop. Banned. That joke is banned." Said Frisk.

"Oh!" Said Nemo dramatically as he put a hand over his heart. "Your words wound me." The two were quiet for a moment before bursting out with laughter. "Alright, alright." Said Nemo after a moment. "Enough joking around, let's get moving."

"Right!" Said Frisk. They then continued to the east. They didn't get far before they saw Papyrus and Sans talking.

"_SO, AS I WAS SAYING ABOUT UNDYNE._" Said Papyrus, but then stopped and looked at Frisk and Nemo. He looked at them, then at Sans, who looked at them in turn. This then lead to them looking between them and each other again and again until the two started spinning in circles. Nemo has an unimpressed look on his face while Frisk just stared in confusion. Eventually the pair stopped. They then turned around and started talking to each other. "_SANS! OH MY GOD! IS THAT… HUMAN!?_"

"_Uhhhh… actually, I think that's a rock._" Said Sans.

"_Huh?" _Thought Nemo with a confused expression.

"_OH._" Said Papyrus with a disappointed expression.

"_Hey, what's that in front of the rock?_" Asked Sans.

Papyrus's eyes...ockets widened in shock. "_OH MY GOD!_" He exclaimed, he then turned and 'whispered' to Sans. "_IS THAT A HUMAN._" They couldn't hear what Sans in response since he actually knew how to whisper, but Nemo assumes it was a yes judging by what Papyrus said next. "_OH MY GOD! SANS! I FINALLY DID IT! UNDYNE WILL… I'M GONNA… I'LL BE SO… POPULAR! POPULAR! POPULAR!_" The excited skeleton then composed himself. "_AHEM. HUMAN! YOU SHALL NOT PASS THIS AREA! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS SHALL STOP YOU! I WILL THEN CAPTURE YOU! YOU WILL BE DELIVERED TO THE CAPITAL! THEN… THEN! I'M NOT SURE WHAT HAPPENS NEXT._"

"_We die, that's what happens next." _Thought Nemo as he did his best poker face.

"_IN ANY CASE!_" Said Papyrus. "_CONTINUE… ONLY IF YOU DARE!_" He then ran off while laughing. "_NYEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH!_"

Sans looked at the humans. "_Well, that went well. Don't sweat it, kids._" Said the skeleton as he winked. "_I'll keep an eye socket out for ya._" He then walked off after his brother.

The duo watched him leave. "Wait, how did he get ahead of us?" Asked Nemo.

"I… don't know." Said Frisk.

"Whatever, let's get going." Said Nemo as they continued forward. They didn't get far before they found themselves in front of another sentry and their souls manifested in front of them as a Snowdrwle fluttered forth.

"Better not **snowflake **out." Said the bird monster as white crescent shaped attacks flew at them. The duo ran to the left and right to avoid the attack. Suddenly more crescent shaped attacks came flying, fortunately the pair were nimble enough to avoid them.

Then there was a real in the attacks, giving Frisk the chance to flee while Nemo ran up and punched the ice bird. The bird staggered a little, but wasn't stopped. "**Ice **to meet you." Said Snowdrake as it repeated its attack, though they flew in a different pattern, fortunately Nemo was able to avoid the attack. He then brought his foot up and kicked the Snowdrake in the face, causing it to hit the ground and turn to dust. Nemo sighed as his soul vanished. He looked to his left and then turned and walked to the sentry station he'd seen before the fight started.

Frisk ran up next to him to read the words written on the station (which they discovered was made of cardboard.) "You observe the well-crafted sentry station. Who could have built this, you ponder… I bet it was a very famous Royal Guardsman! (Note: Not yet a very famous Royal Guardsman)"

"Gee, I can only wonder who wrote that." Said Nemo as he rolled his eyes, causing Frisk to giggle. The pair then continued onward.

**Page 6 End**


	7. Chapter 2, Page 2

The duo found themselves looking at a sign. "Absolutely no moving." Read Frisk.

"What does that mean?" Asked Nemo.

"I'm not sure." Said Frisk.

"Well we need to keep moving otherwise we won't get anywhere." Said Nemo.

"Right." Said Frisk as they continued forward, but as they passed another sentry station, they stopped when a dog monster poked his head out from behind the station.

"Did something move? Was it my imagination?" He asked. "I can only see moving things. If something was moving… for example, a human… I'll make sure it never moves again!"

"Aw crud." Said Nemo as his and Frisk's souls manifested.

"Don't move an inch." Murmured Doggo as one of his knives turned blue and extended before slowly swinging at the pair of humans. Frisk was about to run but Nemo grabbed the back of their shirt, keeping them in place. When the blade reached them they closed their eyes and braces for impact, only for the blade to go straight through them without doing any harm.

Nemo let out a gasp of relief. "How did you know that would work?" Asked Frisk.

"I didn't." Replied Nemo. Suddenly another blue blade came their way, and the duo stayed still again, avoiding taking damage. Nemo then dashed at the dog monster and punched it, causing it to stagger, he then brought his foot up and kicked Doggo onto his back, causing it to slam its head against the corner of the station. It let out a whimper before turning to dust and vanishing. Nemo let out a shaky breath before staggering back as their souls vanished. "Let's go." He said.

"Ok." Said Frisk quietly as the two pressed forward.

"Sorry you had to see that." Said Nemo.

"It's ok." Said Frisk.

"If you say so." Said Nemo. They stopped and saw some burnt dog treats on the ground. "What the?" They looked at them for a moment before Nemo shook his head and continued walking, with Frisk following close behind.

They came to a late opening with a wooden sign in the center. "Hey," Said Sans, whom Nemo has failed to notice before, causing him to jump in surprise. "here's something important to remember. My brother has a very special attack. If you see a blue attack, don't move and it won't hurt you. Here's an easy way to keep it in mind. Imagine a stop sign. When you see a stop sign, you stop right? Stop signs are red. So imagine a blue stop sign instead. Simple, right? When fighting, imagine blue stop signs."

Nemo's eyes narrowed. "Why are you helping us?" He asked.

"Hmm?" Asked Sans.

"I mean, I appreciate what you're doing and all that, but why? You're essentially preventing your brother from joining the royal guard. It doesn't make sense." Said Nemo.

"Eh, don't get the wrong idea kid, I'm just making sure you stay alive long enough for my bro to capture you." Said Sans.

"Gee, thanks." Said Nemo flatly. "C'mon Frisk." Frisk nodded their head as the two of them continued forward. Nemo took a single step before he suddenly started to slide. "Woah, woah, woah!" He shouted as he slid across the ice with his arms flailing. Fortunately he managed to wrap his hands around the sign as he fell to the ground. "Ow."

"Are you ok?!" Called Frisk.

"Cold. Mildly in pain. I'll live." Said Nemo from where he sat.

"I'm coming over, catch me!" Said Frisk. Nemo turned his head to see the younger human step into the ice and (much more gracefully) slide over to him. Nemo stuck out his hand and grabbed theirs, causing them to stop.

"Does the sign say anything?" Asked Nemo.

Frisk looked over to the sign. "North: Ice. South: Ice. West: Ice." They read. Nemo gave them a flat look at that. "East: Snowdin Town (and ice)."

"A snowed in town?" Asked Nemo.

"No, the name of the town is Snowdin." Explained Frisk.

"Glad to see Asgore's stellar naming skills go to work." Said Nemo drily. Frisk giggled at that. Nemo then stood up on wobbly legs. "Let's go this way." He said as he went north. Then he promptly fell on his butt and slid until he was off the ice. "Ooowww…" He whined. He heard Frisk giggle. "Shut up! It's not funny!" Frisk stopped laughing and slid over to him. Nemo groaned as he stood up before adjusting his scarf. "C'mon, let's see what's this way."

"Ok." Said Frisk as they walked to the north together. They found themselves in front of a snowman.

"Hello. I am a snowman." Said the snowman causing Nemo to jump in surprise.

"Why do I even get surprised by this anymore?" Asked Nemo drily.

"I want to see the world… but I cannot move. If you would be so kind, traveler, please… take a piece of me and bring it very far away." Said the snowman.

"Because that's not a messed up request." Thought Nemo with a flat expression. Then Frisk reached out and took a piece of the snowman.

"Really Frisk? Well you're in charge of bringing it."

"That's ok, it's not even that cold." Said Frisk.

"What really?" Asked Nemo as he reached out and poked the snowman piece. It was cold sure, but nowhere near as cold as the snow around them. "How-? Nope, not gonna question, just gonna roll with it." Frisk giggled as they put the snow in one of their pockets.

"Thank you… good luck!" Said the snowman.

"You're welcome, and thanks." Said Nemo as he and Frisk turned before going back the way they came.

After some more ice sliding antics, Nemo and Frisk were now eastward bound and on their way to Snowdin. "YOU ARE SO LAZY!" They heard a voice shout. This made the duo pick up their pace. They saw Sans and Papyrus standing at the opposite of an opening. "YOU WERE NAPPING ALL NIGHT!" Ranted Papyrus.

"I think that's called… sleeping." Said Sans.

"_EXCUSES EXCUSES!_" Snapped the taller skeleton. Then the pair turned and looked at the human duo. "_OH-HO! THE HUMANS HAVE ARRIVED! IN ORDER TO STOP YOU… MY BROTHER AND I HAVE CREATED SOME PUZZLES! I THINK YOU WILL FIND THIS ONE… QUITE SHOCKING!_"

"Gee, let me guess." Thought Nemo.

"_FOR YOU SEE,_" Continued Papyrus, "_THIS IS THE INVISIBLE… ELECTRICITY MAZE!_"

"Yup. Thought so." Said Nemo with a flat expression.

"_WHEN YOU TOUCH THE WALLS OF THIS MAZE, THIS ORB WILL ADMINISTER A HEARTY ZAP!_" Explained Papyrus as he pulled an orb out from… somewhere. "_SOUND LIKE FUN? BECAUSE! THE AMOUNT OF FUN THAT YOU WILL PROBABLY HAVE, IS ACTUALLY RATHER SMALL I THINK. OK, YOU CAN GO AHEAD NOW._"

Nemo gazed at where the maze, or lack thereof, was, and swallowed nervously. "Alright Frisk, I'll go first, and assuming I don't immediately die, you'll follow in my footsteps, agreed?" He asked his friend.

"Uh…?" Said Frisk uncertainly.

"Problem?" Asked Nemo worriedly. Frisk then gestured for him to bend down next to them.

Nemo complied, and then Frisk whispered in his ear. "How is the orb gonna shock us if it's over there?" They asked. Nemo blinked at them for a moment before face planting in the snow. "Are you ok!?" They exclaimed.

"Fine. Just caught a bad case of stupid. Looks like it's airborne." Said Nemo as he looked over at the taller skeleton. He then stood up and brushed off the snow. "Whatever, I'm just gonna start walking and see what happens." He then turned and started walking. But as soon as he reached the part of the area where there wasn't any snow. He stopped as he saw Papyrus light up like a freaking Christmas tree.

"_SANS!_" Shouted Papyrus as he stomped his foot like a child. "_WHAT DID YOU DO?!_"

"I think the human has to hold the orb." Said Sans.

"_OH, OK._" Said Papyrus. He then perfectly navigated the invisible maze, which Nemo has to admit was impressive, even if he was the one to build it, and stopped in front of them. "_HOLD THIS PLEASE._" Said Papyrus as he held out the orb to them, which Nemo took. He then made his way back through the maze to where his brother was. "_OK, TRY NOW!_"

"Is this guy for real?" Asked Nemo as he looked at the blatantly obvious footprints.

"Let's just go." Said Frisk.

"Fine." Groaned Nemo as they made their way through the maze without getting zapped once.

"_INCREDIBLE! YOU SLIPPERY SNAIL!_" Exclaimed Papyrus. "_YOU SOLVED IT SO EASILY… TOO EASILY! HOWEVER! THE NEXT PUZZLE WILL NOT BE EASY! IT IS DESIGNED BY MY BROTHER, SANS. YOU WILL SURELY BE CONFOUNDED!_"

"Did you eat a dictionary or something when you were younger?" Asked Nemo with a flat expression.

"_WHAT DO YOU MEAN?_" Asked Papyrus confused.

"Nothing, forget about it." Sighed Nemo. "You were saying something a minute ago?"

"_AH, YES, YOU WILL SURELY BE CONFOUNDED! I KNOW I AM! NYEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH!_" Said Papyrus. He then somehow slid backwards away and down the path.

"How even…?" Asked Nemo as he watched him go.

"My brother is just that cool." Said Sans.

"Whaaatever." Said Nemo as he and Frisk continued forward. They soon passed a blue monster standing next to a cart.

"I don't understand why these aren't selling… it's the perfect weather for something cold..." Muttered the monster. When he noticed the pair of humans, his expression brightened as he spoke out to them. "OH! CUSTOMERS! Hello! Would you like some Nice Cream? It's the frozen treat that warms your heart! Now just fifteen G!"

Nemo looked down at the younger human. "Frisk?" He asked. They smiled and nodded their head. "Two please." Said Nemo as he held up two fingers to the Nice Cream Guy.

"Here ya go!" Said the Nice Cream Guy as he gave them two popsicles that were inside white plastic wrap. "Have a super-super day!" Nemo smiled as he took the Nice Cream.

The pair continued forward and found a large snowball on a clearing. "What's this?" Asked Nemo as he opened the Noce Cream in his hand and started munching.

"It's some sort of game, you've got to try to kick the ball into the goal over there, then a colored flag comes up depending on how you do." Said Frisk as they pointed at the hole at the other side of the opening before taking a bite out of their Nice Cream.

"How do you know that?" Asked Nemo in confusion as he looked over at Frisk.

"I… I'm not sure." Said Frisk. "I just do, it's like with me being able to read that writing even though you couldn't."

"That is weird." Said Nemo as he scratched the back of his head. He then took the final bite of his Nice Cream and noticed there was writing on the popsicle stick. Unfortunately he couldn't read it.

Nemo looked at the stick with an annoyed expression. He then looked over at Frisk as they prepared to finish theirs. "What's yours say?"

Frisk bit off the last piece of their Nice Cream before reading what it said.

"You have a beautiful smile." They said. Reading this aloud caused them to blush. Nemo chuckled and rolled his eyes before holding his own up.

"Mind reading mine for me?" He asked.

"S-sure." They said as they looked at the stick. "You look nice today."

"Aw, thanks for the compliment." Teased Nemo with a smile resulting in more blushing, causing Nemo to laugh.

He looked back at the snowball. "Now then, let's see how I can do." Said Nemo. He then charged at the snowball and gave it a hard kick, sending it rolling, he then chased after it. He kicked it a few more times, but didn't notice that he reached the icy part of the track until it was too late.

"Watch out!" He heard Frisk shout, but it was too little too late as Nemo saw the world begin to spin on its head. Next thing he knew the side of his head was searing with pain as spots danced in front of his vision.

He heard the sounds of footsteps getting closer as he heard Frisk shout, "Are you ok!?" Nemo gave a weak thumbs up in response. Frisk then helped him as he staggered to his feet. His gaze wandered downward to see a splotch of red splattered on the snow beneath them. His hand rose to the part of his head that hurt the most and his fingers came away red and wet.

"Greeeaaat." Drawled Nemo through narrow eyes as he tried to focus his blurring vision. "Let's try to find the next glowy spot and fix this."

"Ok." Said Frisk as they prepared to walk. Just before leaving though, Nemo stopped and looked back at the snowball.

"One sec." He said.

"What is it?" Asked Frisk. Nemo brought his foot back and kicked the snowball again, sending it hurtling to the hole. When it reached the hole, the ball vanished inside and an orange flag arose.

"What's it say?" Asked Nemo.

Frisk moved over and peered at the flag. "Orange - you are the kind of person who rushes fists first through all obstacles." Their words earned a laugh from Nemo.

"Sounds about right." He said. This earned a laugh from Frisk.

"Oh, there's five G in here." Said a Frisk as they reached into the hole and pulled out the monster currency.

"Yaaay, prize money." Said Nemo weakly. With that, the pair continued onwards.

_**Page 7 End**_


	8. Chapter 2, Page 3

The pair stopped when they saw Papyrus and Sans once more. "_HUMANS!_" Shouted Papyrus, making Nemo wince as a pained expression crossed his face. "_I HOPE YOU ARE READY FOR-!_" Suddenly Nemo let out a grown and fell/sat down as he held his head. "_OH NO! ARE YOU ALRIGHT TALLER HUMAN!?_" Exclaimed Papyrus.

"I just have a headache." Groaned Nemo. "Now stop shouting, you're making it worse."

"_OH, I SEE._" Said Papyrus, more quietly this time. He then turned to Frisk. "_AS I WAS SAYING, I HOPE YOU ARE READY FOR…_" But he trailed off when he realized something was wrong. "_SANS! WHERE'S THE PUZZLE!?_"

"_It's right there. On the ground._" Said Sans. The three of them all gazed down to see as piece of paper lying on the ground between them. "_Trust me. There's no way they can get past this one._" Frisk walked over to the piece of paper on the ground and picked it up. They examined it for a moment before placing the paper back down on the ground and walking back over to Nemo.

"Let's go." Said Frisk as they held out their hand to him.

"K." Said Nemo as he grabbed their hand and he stood up.

"_SANS! THAT DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!_" Shouted Papyrus, causing Nemo to wince and grab his head.

"_Whoops._" Said Sans. "_I knew I should have used today's crossword instead._"

"_WHAT?_" Asked Papyrus, fortunately being quieter this time. "_CROSSWORD? I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU SAID THAT. IN MY OPINION… JUNIOR JUMBLE IS EASILY THE HARDEST._"

"_What? Really, dude?_" Asked Sans. "_That easy-peasy word scramble? That's for baby bones._"

"_UN. BELIEVABLE. HUMANS! SOLVE THIS DISPUTE!_" Shouted Papyrus.

"Whichever one shuts you up." Growled Nemo as he glared at the loud skeleton.

"I think Junior Jumble sounds harder." Said Frisk.

"_HA! HA! YES!_" Laughed Papyrus, earning a growl from Nemo. "_HUMANS MUST BE VERY INTELLIGENT. IF THEY ALSO FIND JUNIOR JUMBLE SO DIFFICULT._" This made Nemo turn his head to look at the nonexistent camera like he was on an episode of The Office. "_NYEH. HEH. HEH HEH._" Papyrus then turned and left.

"_Thanks for saying 'Junior Jumble' just to appease my brother._" Said Sans making the humans look at him. "_Yesterday he got stumped trying to 'solve' the horoscope._"

"Seriously?" Asked Nemo flatly.

"_Yup._" Said Sans.

"Honestly I'm not even surprised at this point." Sighed Nemo as he hung his head. With that the two humans continued onward. Fortunately the next spot had a glowing star, which Frisk was fast to put their hand on. As soon as they did, Nemo let out a sigh of relief as his vision cleared and his headache vanished. "Finally. Thanks Frisk."

"No problem." They said with a smile. They then turned their head and noticed something on the ground. They crouched down and picked it up before looking at it.

"Whatcha got there?" Asked Nemo.

"It's a note from Papyrus." They said. "Human. Please enjoy this spaghetti. (Little do you know, this spaghetti is a trap… designed to entice you. You'll be so busy eating it… that you won't realize that you aren't progressing. Thoroughly japed again by The Great Papyrus.) Nyeh-heh-heh, Papyrus."

All Nemo could do was give Frisk a flat stare. He then rolled his eyes before looking over at the plate of spaghetti on the table. "Was he talking about this? Well I am kinda hungry." Said Nemo as he walked over to the table the spaghetti was on and picked up the fork next to it. But when he tried to put the fork into the spaghetti, the thing simply bounced off. Nem's brow furrowed as he took another stab at the food, but the fork didn't even make a dent. "Is this spaghetti or a rock?" He asked in annoyance.

"I think it's frozen." Said Frisk.

"Riiight." Said Nemo as he looked around at the snow surrounding them. "Honestly with everything that was happening, I forgot how cold it was." He then noticed Frisk cross their arms and shiver. "I bet you're feeling even colder than me?"

"D-don't worry, I'm fine." Said Frisk with a weak smile. Nemo looked at them before sighing and walking over to them.

Frisk looked at him in confusion as he got closer, then he brought his hand up to the scarf around his neck and in one swift motion, pulled it off before holding it out to them. "Here." He said.

Frisk looked surprised, in the time they'd spent together, they'd never seen Nemo remove his scarf. "I-I'm f-fine Nemo, r-really." They said.

"Even if you'd been able to say that without your voice shaking like that, I doubt I would've bought that, now put the scarf on so we can get moving." Said Nemo. They looked at him for a moment before sighing.

"Alright." They said as they took the scarf from him and messily wrapped it around their own neck.

"Good." Said Nemo. Then he looked down the path. "Now let's get going, the skeleton brothers are probably waiting for us with their next weird puzzle."  
"Right." Said Frisk as they buried their face into the scarf. With that the pair continued forward. The next are had another sign. "Warning: Dog Marriage." Read Frisk.

"Dog what now?" Asked Nemo.

"Dog Marriage." Said Frisk while turning to look back at him.

"What does that even…? Y'know what? Forget it, I'm sure we're gonna find out soon enough." Said Nemo. With that the pair went right to see what they'd find. Unfortunately the soon found they're path blocked by a set of spikes. "Well… looks like we aren't going that way." Nemo commented drily. He turned and started walking, not seeing the layer of snowballs until he kicked some out of the way. "What the? What are these doing here?"

"Nemo look!" Exclaimed Frisk as they pointed at where Nemo stood.

Nemo looked back and noticed some markings on the ground. "What are these here for?" He asked as he reached down and pushed some more snow out of the way. Suddenly his soul manifested in front of him, causing him to look around because he couldn't see any monsters, he then turned back to where he'd been facing to see a Lesser Dog standing in front of him. "Woah! He said, as he fell backwards onto his rear, which resulted in a wince of pain because of how thin the snow was there. The Lesser Dog panted before leaping at him. Nemo let out a yelp as he rolled out of the way before repositioning himself to leap at it and punch it in the jaw. The dog monster let out a small bark before it's sword turned blue and was swung at him. Nemo froze in place as the stone dagger passed through him, then it turned back to normal and came at him from the opposite direction, Nemo was quick to move to the side and evade the slash, then he lifted up his foot and delivered a powerful side kick to the Lesser Dog's face, causing it to let out a yip before vanishing.

Nemo sighed as his soul vanished before he stood up. "What was I doing?" He asked himself as he looked around before seeing the snowballs on the ground. "Ah, right." He went back to clearing them away, while Frisk simply stood by and watched in silence. Soon enough of the snow was clear that they could make out the markings. Nemo looked at them, then at the surrounding area. "I think it's a map, and look." He said as he pointed at the red. "X marks the spot, that must be the key to getting past this point."

"Let's go then." Said Frisk quietly. The duo then made their way to where the X was depicted on the map. They searched for a moment before Frisk found a switch hidden in the snow, which let out a click when they pressed it.

"And if my hunch is right." Said Nemo as they made their way back towards where they'd been moments ago, to see the spikes were no longer there. "Then the spikes over there should be retracted. Nailed it." The two then made their way forward and across a small bridge before stopping at a corner. The pair saw a pair of hooded dog monsters with giant axes walking towards them.

"What's that smell?" Asked one.

"Where's that smell?" Asked the other.

"If you're a smell…" Said the first.

"Identify yoursmellf!" Said the second. All Nemo could do was groan and face palm as the dogs started running around them before stopping on opposite sides of them.

"Hmmm… here's that weird smell… it makes me want to eliminate…" Said the first dog.

"Huh?" Asked Nemo worriedly.

"Eliminate you!" Shouted the second. Suddenly Nemo's and Frisk's souls manifested in front of them as the dogs removed their hoods.

"Let's kick some human tail!" Said the first dog, who was a male.

"Do humans have tails?" Asked the second, a female. Suddenly the male dog fired a series of white and blue heart-shaped attacks at the human pair.

"Move!" Shouted Nemo, as the duo began to run. The duo managed to avoid the first two series of attacks, but then Nemo saw that two of the hearts from the third attack were gonna hit Frisk, so he moved quickly and shielded Frisk with his arm. He winced slightly from the attack but was otherwise fine. He then growled as he turned and attacked the female dog.

"Let's kick some human tail!" Repeated the male dog.

"Do humans have tails?" Repeated the female. Another series of hearts came flying at them, they managed to avoid most but each of them took a heart to the chest and were knocked backwards, causing them to roll on the ground.

"Number two muzzle champs of '98." Said the male.

"Of course we were second." Said the girl. Nemo shook his head as he and Frisk stood up. Suddenly the dogs resniffed them.

"What? Smells like a…" Said the male.

"Are you actually a little puppy?" Exclaimed the female.

"What? Asked Nemo in confusion. He then noticed how dirty he was. He brought his wrist to his nose and took a quick whiff, realizing that he now smelled like a dog. He sighed before getting back into a fighting stance.

"Hold on Nemo!" Said Frisk.

"Frisk?" Asked Nemo in confusion.

"Just follow my lead." Said Frisk calmly as the approaches the female dog, who was bending down at the moment to smell Frisk better, and began to scratch her head.

"A dog that pets dogs… amazing!" Said the female dog.

"What about me…?" Whimpered the male dog. Nemo gave a flat look at Frisk and the two dog monsters. Frisk looked at him and nodded their head at the other dog. Nemo sighed and rolled his eyes before going over to the male dog and scratching his head. "Wow… a dog who pets other dogs." Said the male softly.

"Amazing right?" Asked the female. Suddenly Nemo's and Frisk's souls vanished.

"Dogs can pet other dogs?" Asked the male.

"A new world has opened for us…" said the female. The pair then made their lead.

"Well that just happened." Said Nemo as he watched the dogs go.

"I'm glad you didn't kill them." Said Frisk.

"Frisk." Said Nemo with a sigh. "I don't enjoy killing monsters. But most don't give me the choice. They're trying to kill us and I'm not going to go out of my way to play nice with them. If they attack us, then they run the risk of dying. If they give us the chance to give them mercy like those two did, I'll oblige, otherwise I'm not gonna hold back."

"I know…" Said Frisk.

"Alright, now let's get going. I'm sure 'The Great Papyrus' is readying another weird puzzle as we speak." Said Nemo.

"Yeah." Giggles Frisk as they continued forward. This next area had two blue Xs on the ground, surrounded by large mounds of snow, and there was a button and a sign nearby. This time Frisk took the initiative to look at the sign before Nemo even asked. "Turn every X into and O, and then press the button." Nemo looked at them before looking at the two Xs, he then walked over to one and stepped on it, and when he did, it made a small click and became a red X, he heard another click and he looked over to see Frisk on the other X, a smile on their face.

Nemo grinned at them before walking over to the button and stepping on it, causing the circles to become green as the nearby spikes retracted into the ground. They then proceeded ahead, only to be stopped by Papyrus. "_WHAT!? HOW DID YOU AVOID MY TRAP!?_" He exclaimed. "_AND, MORE IMPORTANTLY… IS THERE ANY LEFT FOR ME?_"  
Nemo rolled his eyes. "Yeah, there's plenty left over for you." He said drily.

"REALLY!?" He asked excitedly. "_WOWIE… YOU RESISTED HE FLAVOR OF MY HOMECOOKED PASTA… JUST SO YOU COULD SHARE IT WITH ME?_"  
"Wha- n- of forget it."Said Nemo as his head drooped.

"_FRET NOT HUMAN! I, MASTER CHEF PAPYRUS… WILL MAKE YOU ALL THE PASTA YOU COULD EVER WANT! HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH NYEH!_"

"Good grief." Said Nemo as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I think he's funny." Said Frisk.

"Of course you do." Groaned Nemo. This earned a laugh from Frisk as they resumed walking.

Papyrus was waiting for them in the next area. "_MY BROTHER STARTED A SOCK COLLECTION RECENTLY._" He said. "_HOW SADDENING… SOMETIMES I WONDER WHAT HE WOULD DO...WITHOUT SUCH A COOL GUY TAKING CARE OF HIM? NYEH HEH HEH!_" Nemo rolled his eyes as he and Frisk continued forward. The duo stopped in front of another puzzle that consisted of blue Xs and a button, then Papyrus ran up to them. "_HUMAN! HMMM… HOW DO I SAY THIS… YOU WERE TAKING A LONG TIME TO ARRIVE, SO… I DECIDED TO IMPROVE THIS PUZZLE… BY ARRANGING THE SNOW TO LOOK MORE LIKE MY FACE. UNFORTUNATELY, THE SNOW FROZE TO THE GROUND. NOW THE SOLUTION IS DIFFERENT! AND, AS USUAL, MY LAZY BROTHER IS NOWHERE AROUND._"  
_"Geez dude, lay off."_ Thought Nemo with a mildly frustrated expression.

"_I SUPPOSE WHAT I AM SAYING IS… WORRY NOT, HUMAN!_" Declared Papyrus as he did a pose, allowing his short cape to flow in the wind. "_I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL SOLVE THIS CONUNDRUM! THEN WE CAN BOTH PROCEED! MEANWHILE, FEEL FREE TO TRY THE PUZZLE YOURSELF! I'LL TRY NOT TO GIVE AWAY THE ANSWER!_"

"Good grief." Muttered Nemo as he stepped onto the puzzle, he stepped over most of the Xs, turning them into circles, until all but three were left, he stepped on a circle, because that was the only way to reach the last three, and to his surprise, the circle became a green triangle.

"_HUMAN!_" Called Papyrus. "_YOU CAN ONLY STEP ON EACH SPOT ONCE, BECAUSE ANY O YOU STEP ON WILL BECOME A TRIANGLE, AND THEN THE PUZZLE WILL BECOME UNSOLVABLE!_"  
"You couldn't have said that sooner?" Nemo called back in annoyance.

"_FRET NOT! ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS STEP ON THE BUTTON WHILE THE PUZZLE IS INCOMPLETE AND ALL THE TILES WILL RESET!_ "Explained Papyrus. This earned a grumble from Nemo as me made his way back to the button before he stepped on it, resetting the puzzle. A few tries and multiple sounds of annoyance from Nemo later, and the puzzle was finally complete, and the spikes were retracted into the ground. "_WOW! YOU SOLVED IT! AND YOU DID IT ALL WITHOUT MY HELP… INCREDIBLE! I'M IMPRESSED! YOU MUST CARE ABOUT PUZZLES LIKE I DO! WELL, I'M SURE YOU'LL LOVE THE NEXT PUZZLE THEN! IT MIGHT EVEN BE TOO EASY FOR YOU! NYEH! HEH HEH! HEHEHEH!_" Papyrus laughed as he ran on ahead.

Nemo groaned as he and Frisk continued, they passed by Sans as he spoke to them. "_Good job on solving it, you didn't even need my help. Which is great, 'cause I love doing absolutely nothing._"

"I've noticed." Said Nemo drily as he and Frisk pressed onward.

**End of Page 8**


	9. Chapter 2, Page 4

Nemo and Frisk stood on the opposite side of a short bridge, just across from it were a bunch of weird white and gray tiles, and across from them were Sans and Papyrus, who were standing next to a weird machine. "_HEY!_" Called Papyrus. "_IT'S THE HUMANS! YOU'RE GONNA LOVE THIS PUZZLE! IT WAS MADE BY THE GREAT DR. ALPHYS! YOU SEE THE TILES!? ONCE I THROW THIS SWITCH… THEY WILL BEGIN TO CHANGE COLOR! EACH COLOR HAS A DIFFERENT FUNCTION! RED TILES ARE IMPASSABLE! YOU CANNOT WALK ON THEM! YELLOW TILES ARE ELECTRIC! THEY WILL ELECTROCUTE YOU! GREEN TILES ARE ALARM TILES! IF YOU STEP ON THEM… YOU WILL HAVE TO FIGHT A MONSTER! ORANGE TILES ARE ORANGE-SCENTED. THEY WILL MAKE YOU SMELL DELICIOUS! BLUE TILES ARE WATER TILES. SWIM THROUGH IF YOU LIKE, BUT… IF YOU SMELL LIKE ORANGE! THE PIRANHAS WILL BITE YOU. ALSO, IF A BLUE TILE IS NEXT TO A YELLOW TILE, THE WATER WILL ALSO ZAP YOU! PURPLE TILES ARE SLIPPERY! YOU WILL SLIDE TO THE NEXT TILE! HOWEVER, THE SLIPPERY SOAP… SMELLS LIKE LEMONS! WHICH PIRANHAS DO NOT LIKE! PURPLE AND BLUE ARE OK! FINALLY, PINK TILES. THEY DON'T DO ANYTHING. STEP ON THEM ALL YOU LIKE. HOW WAS THAT!? UNDERSTAND?_"

"Not in the slightest." Said Nemo.

"_OKAY…_" Said Papyrus. "_I GUESS ILL REPEAT MYSELF-_"

"NO!" Shouted Nemo, making the skeletons jump. He put a hand on his forehead. "Just… flip the switch, we'll figure it out as we go…"

"_GREAT! THEN THERE'S ON LAST THING… THIS PUZZLE… IS ENTIRELY RANDOM! WHEN I PULL THIS SWITCH, IT WILL MAKE A PUZZLE…. THAT HAS NEVER BEEN SEEN BEFORE!_" Said Papyrus.

_"Hang on, I think I know where this is going."_ Thought Nemo.

"_NOT EVEN I WILL KNOW THE SOLUTION! NYEH HEH HEH! GET READY…!_" Said Papyrus as he flipped the switch and the tiles began to light up and change colors. They shifted a few times before reaching a final result. A straight line of pinks surrounded by reds.

_"Nailed it."_ Thought Nemo with a flat expression, he then looked over at Papyrus who simply stared at the 'puzzle' for a moment in silence. Then he began to spin in circles and spun away. Nemo simply sighed as he watched the skeleton go. "Alright, let's move." He said as he crossed the puzzle with Frisk behind him.

"_Actually,_" Said Sans as they passed him, "_that spaghetti from earlier… it wasn't too bad for my brother. Since he started cooking lessons, he's been improving a lot. I bet if her keeps it up, next year he'll even make something edible._"

"I'm not sure which is more concerning, the fact that what we passed was an improvement, or that his cooking used to be worse." Said Nemo.

Sans shrugged. "_Eh, give it enough time and I'm certain he'll be a bone-ified chef._" He said.

Nemo let out a scoff. "Tibia honest, that pun was funny." He said.

"_Eyyy._" Said Sans.

"Later smiles." Said Nemo as he and Frisk departed.

"Bye Sans!" Said Frisk. They passed another empty sentry station with a sign next to it. "Aware of dog. Pleas pet dog." Read Frisk.

"What? Oh." Said Nemo as he realized what the sign meant. "So petting the dog reduces hostility or something?"

"It worked with those other dogs." Said Frisk. They then moved their head to look past him before walking past him and over to another star. They reached out and touched it, and Nemo felt his injuries from before vanish and his strength return.

"Thanks Frisk." Said Nemo as he tilted his head to the left causing his neck it to crack before tilting it to the right resulting in two more cracks. "Let's see what's next." They then continued to the next area.

The duo stared at the next puzzle before them. It was a large area of ice, with blue Xs in multiple spots, and a button at the other end. "This… looks difficult." Said Nemo with an unhappy expression.

"Would you like me to do it?" Asked Frisk. "You're not very good with ice after all."

"Gee, thanks Frisk." Said Nemo drily, this caused Frisk to laugh. "Don't worry, I've got this." He then walked to the left of the puzzle and looked at it. "Maybe if I…" He muttered as he stepped onto the ice, and ungracefully slid to the first X, turning it into a circle. He then walked right to the X right next to him, then slid a short distance to the third X. He went right again and covered two more Xs, he attempted to hit the sixth X, which was right next to the snow, but he wound up getting the angle wrong when he left his spot and the next thing he knew, he was careening over the edge.

"Nemo!" He heard Frisk cry. For a brief moment Nemo panicked, thinking that this was how he was gonna die, but that moment ended as soon as it started as he landed back first on the snow, the wind being knocked out of him. He sat there coughing for a moment, then he heard the sounds of footsteps crunching in the snow before he saw Frisk's concerned face looming over him. "Are you ok!?" They said worriedly.

"Snow need to worry kiddo, I'm just fine." Joked Nemo. This made Frisk sigh and shake their head while smiling.

"Don't scare me like that." They said.

"Relax." Said Nemo as he stood up. He then turned his head and noticed something. "What are those?" He asked as he pointed at something. Frisk turned to look, and saw a snow sculpture of Papyrus, and a blob of snow with the name 'Sans' messily written with something red.

"Is that blood?" Asked Frisk. Nemo walked over and smelled the snow.

"It's ketchup." He replied. He then looked over at the snow Papyrus and noticed that there was some red fabric around its neck. Nemo thought back to Papyrus's costume and thought about how short and torn up that cape of his was. "I guess that explains that." He thought. "That does seem like something he'd do." "C'mon Frisk, let's try that again." He told the younger human.

"Right." Said Frisk as they went back up the way Frisk had come down.

Having returned to the front of the puzzle, Nemo took another look at it, he then brought up a finger and started to move it around while still pointing at the puzzle. Frisk watched him in quiet confusion for a moment before opening their mouth to say something, but before they could, Nemo spoke up instead. "That'll work." He said.

"What will?" Asked Frisk in confusion.

"Just watch." Mumbled Nemo as he went to the right and stopped in front of the first X. He stepped onto it, turning it into a circle, then he continued forward and slid to the one directly across from it, he then turned left and slid to the X on the opposite end. He took a third right and slid forward the fourth X. He took a third left and stepped onto the fifth X, that was right next to the fourth. He took a fourth right and slid to the next X, and then went forward again to X number seven. This time he went right and went to the next X, then took another right and slid to the ninth X. He took a fourth right leading him to the X right next to the ninth, he went right once more going to the nearby X, then went left one more time leading to the twelfth and final X. Now all the Xs had become circles. Nemo turned right one last time and slid to the button, sliding over it and activating it, causing a bridge to appear, but Nemo didn't stop as he slid over the bridge and through a dense forest area.

Nemo stumbled out of the dense area and shook the snow off of his head. He turned around and saw Frisk exit the woods a few moments after. "That was fun." He commented drily.

Frisk gave a smile to him as they turned and walked to the right. They stopped next to Sans.

"_What's up?_" Asked the smiling skeleton.

"The sk- wait." Said Nemo attempting a wise guy remark only to stop and realize that what he was about to say was partially false. "The ground technically. I suppose." He said uncertainly as he bent his head back to look at the roof of the underground. "I guess the roof could also work? Just forget it." He and Frisk turned and continued walking, only to see Sans at the other end. Nemo whirled around to see Sans behind them again. "What the?" He turned again to see Sans again. "How!?" Suddenly his and Frisk's souls manifested as a Gyftrot confronted them. Nemo was quick to act as he punched the monster.

"Don't put any more stuff on me." Said the deer monster as it breathed out white air because of the cold. Suddenly something hit Nemo in the back of his head, he winced as he put a hand on where he was hit as he and Frisk looked up to see large pieces of hail the size of golf balls falling towards them.

"Gah! Move!" Said Nemo as he covered his head with his arm and started to avoid the hail. He managed to dodge most of them but he heard a cry of pain from Frisk. He turned to see them clutching the top of their head. Nemo glared at the Gyftrot as he charged at the monster. He delivered a kick to the bottom of the monster's jaw.

"Is this funny to you?" Asked Gyftrot as more hail came down. Nemo backpedaled trying to avoid it, but let out a shout as another piece hit his forehead. Nemo growled as he ran and punched the monster again, punching it in the side of the head. "Get this off me." Said Gyftrot as it launched three of the items on it's head at them. Nemo brought his arms to his face and blocked the attack and got knocked on his rear. Nemo growled again as he put his hands on the ground and kicked the monster again, Gyftrot froze in place for a moment before turning into dust and vanishing.

"You ok?" Asked Nemo as he rubbed his head.

"I'm alright." Said Frisk as they did the same. Nemo then stood up and dusted himself off before the pair continued onward.

"_Are you lost?_" Asked Sans as they passed him.

"No, whatever gave you that idea?" Asked Nemo sarcastically.

"Don't be rude." Said Frisk.

"Fine." Groaned Nemo. THe continued forward and found themselves in front of a cave. "Should we?" He asked.

"I don't think we should." Said Frisk.

"Alrighty then." Said Nemo as he turned and walked back the way they'd came with Frisk close behind him. They eventually found themselves in front of an area with a tiny dog house and a bunch of snow poffs.

"Woof." Said Frisk as they read the sign next to the dog house.

"That's all it says?" Asked Nemo.

"That's all it says." They replied.

"It's weird, but at the same time isn't." Said Nemo. "Does that make sense?"

"I guess?" Said Frisk uncertainly. The duo continued forward going around the snow poffs, until reaching the path to the next area. The duo stopped when a tail suddenly came out of the snow poff at the head of the path.

"What the?" Said Nemo in surprise. Then a dog's head popped out of the snow poff. "Oh. A dog." Suddenly the dog let out a bark before standing up on two legs while clad in armor and holding a spear with a smiley face on the tip. "Uh…" Suddenly Nemo's and Frisk's souls manifested in front of them. The duo just sat there for a moment as the dog sat their intently. Nemo then tried to walk past the dog, causing it to inch closer to him, it then swung it's spear at him, and Nemo tried to avoid it but couldn't get clear of the swing, fortunately as he moved the spear turned blue and Nemo froze in place as it passed through him. He then readjusted his footing and brought a fist to the Greater Dog's jaw. It swung it's spear at him again and Nemo tried to time it so that he could take advantage of it being blue again, but his timing was off and he let out a groan as he the tip of the spear slashed his shoulder. Nemo grit his teeth and punched the dog again. The dog swung it's spear again and hit Nemo in the same spot. He bit his tongue to avoid shouting in pain as he landed one last decisive blow to the dog's nose. The dog yipped as it became dust.

"Are you ok?" Asked Frisk as Nemo held his bleeding shoulder.

"I'll be fine, sorry about the dog." Said Nemo as he looked over at the shorter human with a look of pity.

"It's alright." Said Frisk as they winced slightly.

"Is it?" Nemo couldn't help but ask himself.

They continued forward to another bridge, saying nothing as they walked across it. "_HUMAN!_" They heard a familiar voice shout. They looked and saw Papyrus and Sans standing on the other end of the bridge. "_THIS IS YOUR FINAL AND MOST DANGEROUS CHALLENGE! BEHOLD! THE GAUNTLET OF DEADLY TERROR!_" Suddenly a series of weapons, fire, and a dog, all tied to ropes descended down around the bridge. Nemo and Frisk looked around in shock. "_WHEN I SAY THE WORD, THIS TRAP WILL ACTIVATE! CANNONS WILL FIRE! SPIKES WILL SWING! BLADES WILL SLICE! EACH PART WILL SWING VIOLENTLY UP AND DOWN! ONLY THE TINIEST CHANCE OF VICTORY WILL REMAIN! ARE YOUR READY!? BECAUSE! I! AM! ABOUT! TO DO IT!_" Nemo braced himself for the onslaught, looking over at Frisk and then at the weapons surrounding them. But nothing happened.

"_Well? What's the holdup?_" Asked Sans as he looked at his brother, who was now facing away from them.

"_HOLDUP!? WHAT HOLDUP!?_" Replied Papyrus. "_I'M… I'M ABOUT TO ACTIVATE IT NOW!_" But nothing happened.

"_That, uh, doesn't look very activated…_" Said Sans.

"_WELL! THIS CHALLENGE! IT SEEMS… MAYBE… TOO EASY TO DEFEAT THE HUMAN WITH. YEAH! WE CAN'T USE THIS ONE! I AM A SKELETON WITH STANDARDS!_" Said Papyrus.

"Good grief." Thought Nemo.

"_MY PUZZLES ARE VERY FAIR! AND MY TRAPS ARE EXPERTLY COOKED! BUT THIS METHOD IS TOO DIRECT! NO CLASS AT ALL! AWAY IT GOES!_" Said Papyrus, then the puzzles just up and vanished. "_PHEW!_" Then he looked at Frisk and Nemo. "_WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT!? THIS WAS ANOTHER DECISIVE VICTORY FOR PAPYRUS! NYEH! HEH! ...HEH?_" He then walked away.

The pair of humans exchanged a glance before they finished crossing the bridge. "_I don't know what my brother's going to do now. If I were you, I would make sure I understand blue attacks._" Said Sans.

"Hear ya loud and clear." Said Nemo. The pair then continued forward into town, passing a large banner that had monster writing on it.

"Welcome to Snowdin." Said Frisk.

**End of Page 9**


	10. Chapter 2, Page 5

Nemo and Frisk looked around the cold town. "Do you see anything interesting?" Nemo asked.

"The building right next to that save point is a shop, maybe there's something in there?" Suggested Frisk.

"Alrighty then." Said Nemo. Frisk walked over and put their hand on the star, which caused any injuries the pair had to vanish. Then they entered the store.

"Hello, traveller. How can I help you?" Asked the storekeeper, a bunny monster.

"I'd like to purchase some stuff, can you just give us a moment to browse?" Asked Nemo. The storekeeper simply nodded her head in response. He saw four options. A glove, a bandanna with abs on it, one of those popsicles that has two sticks and you split in half before eating, and a bunny shaped cinnamon bun. "I'll take the popsicle and the cinnamon bun." Nemo pointed at the items as he listed them. The storekeeper nodded as she handed the items to him and he gave the gold to her in return.

"Hey Nemo." Said Frisk as they tugged on his arm.

"Yeah?" Asked Nemo as he gathered the items up.

"Can I have the Manly Bandanna?" Asked Frisk as they pointed at the bandanna.

"The '_Manly_' Bandanna?" Asked Nemo uncertainly as he looked over at it.

"Yeah." Said Frisk as they nodded their head. Nemo rolled his eyes and smiled.

"Alright, alright, I'll take the bandanna too." Said Nemo as he handed the gold over for it.

"Thanks for your purchase." Said the storekeeper. The pair then turned to leave. "Bye now! Come again sometime!" They then went outside and started walking through the small town.

"Do you see anything?" Asked Nemo.

"No…" Said Frisk. They then stopped in front of a large tree.

"Awful teens tormented a local monster by decorating its tree-like horns." They heard a monster next to them say. "So we started giving that monster presents to make it feel better. Now it's a tradition to put presents underneath a decorated tree."

Nemo's lips pressed into a fine line as he recalled the deer like monster he'd killed. "Nemo?" He heard Frisk as as they looked at him with a concerned expression.

"It's nothing, forget about it." Said Nemo with a smile. "Let's just go." The pair continued through the town.

As they walked, they heard another monster speak up. "Everyone is always laughing and cracking jokes, trying to forget our modern crisis." It said. "Dreariness. Crowding. Lack of sunlight. I would join them, but I'm just not very funny. At least I'm not making puns."

The one next to it spoke up as well. "We all know the underground has problems l, but we smile anyway. Why? We can't do anything, so why be morose about it?" It said. "Smile, smile." Nemo and Frisk continued to walk, passing another building and found themselves in front of a house with Christmas lights on it and a wreath on the front door. Nemo saw that there were two mailboxes next to the house as well, one was overflowing with mail and the other seemed to be empty.

"Do you think this is their house?" Asked Frisk.

"Hm?" Asked Nemo.

"Sans and Papyrus, do you think this house belongs to them?" Asked Frisk.

"How would I know?" Asked Nemo with a raised eyebrow.

"Fair." Said Frisk. They duo then continued past the house and past a shed. Suddenly the air around them started to become dense with fog to the further they walked to the point where the pair were practically blind.

"Grab my hand so we don't get separated." Said Nemo. Frisk didn't say anything but he did feel something grasp his hand after a moment. They then continued walking. They didn't walk for long when they heard a voice that made them stop in their tracks.

"_HUMANS._" Said Papyrus. "_ALLOW ME TO TELL YOU ABOUT SOME COMPLEX FEELINGS._"

"_Heeere we go."_ Thought Nemo as he rolled his eyes.

"_FEELINGS LIKE… THE JOY OF FINDING ANOTHER PASTA LOVER. THE ADMIRATION FOR ANOTHER'S PUZZLE-SOLVING SKILLS. THE DESIRE TO HAVE A COOL, SMART PERSON THINK YOU ARE COOL._"Said Papyrus.

"_I'm amazed his neck can support a head that big."_ Thought Nemo.

"_THESE FEELINGS… THEY MUST BE WHAT YOU ARE FEELING RIGHT NOW!_" Exclaimed Papyrus.

"_Good. F*cking. Grief."_ Nemo mentally groaned.

"_I CAN HARDLY IMAGINE WHAT IT MUST BE LIKE TO FEEL THAT WAY. AFTER ALL, I AM VERY GREAT. I DON'T EVER WONDER WHAT HAVING LOTS OF FRIENDS IS LIKE. I PITY YOU… LONELY HUMANS… WORRY NOT! YOU SHALL BE LONELY NO LONGER! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL BE YOUR…_" Papyrus paused for a moment. "_NO… NO, THIS IS ALL WRONG! I CAN'T BE YOUR FRIEND! YOU ARE HUMANS! I MUST CAPTURE YOU! THEN. I CAN FULFILL MY LIFELONG DREAM! POWERFUL! POPULAR! PRESTIGIOUS! THAT'S PAPYRUS! THE NEWEST MEMBER… OF THE ROYAL GUARD!_" Suddenly the fog cleared away and Frisk and Nemo could see Papyrus standing in front of them. Then Nemo's soul manifested.

"Frisk." Said Nemo calmly.

"Right." They said as they moved back a bit. Nemo took the first move as he ran up and punched Papyrus, but the smiling skeleton barely budged, Nemo then took a couple steps backwards.

"_SO YOU'RE SERIOUS…_" He said. "_THEN, LET'S SEE IF YOU CAN HANDLE MY FABLED 'BLUE ATTACK'!_" Nemo stood absolutely still as a series of blue bones flew at him at different speeds. He held his breath as the ones that got too close passed through him. Because the speed they were going at the sheer numbers, he couldn't dodge them even if he wanted to try. After a few seconds that felt like hours to him, the barrage ended and for a few seconds nothing happened. Suddenly his eyes widened in shock as his soul became blue he suddenly felt like a massive weight was thrust onto his shoulders. He saw a small white bone come at him along the ground and he tried to jump over it, but he was too slow because of his new weight and it caught his foot, sending him forward and making him faceplant.

"What... did you... do?" He groaned as he staggered to his feet.

"_YOU'RE BLUE NOW, THAT'S MY ATTACK!_" Declared Papyrus. "_NYEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH!_" Nemo grit his teeth as he charged at Papyrus and punched him again, but the skeleton barely budged again as Nemo stepped backwards. "_BEHOLD!_" Another short bone like the one from before came at him. Nemo moved at the bone and this time was able to jump over it. He was able to repeat the process he was able to jump over another one. The third bone was taller than the previous two. Nemo ran and leapt over it. He looked over at Papyrus, who was trying hard to play it cool. He then ran over and kicked the skeleton.

"_HOW HIGH CAN YOU JUMP?_" Asked Papyrus with a smile.

"_Ah crud." _Thought Nemo. He then moved backwards as another set of bones came his way. A small came his way, which he jumped over. Then a series of four larger bones were next. He jumped over the first two, but got his timing off as the third struck him, and cleared the fourth, then even longer bones came his way. Fortunately, he managed to jump over these. He stood there panting for a moment. Unfortunately he didn't react soon enough and the next thing he knew, Papyrus attacked again. It was a repeat of the last attack. Nemo leapt over the small and medium bones as well as the first large bone, but couldn't avoid slamming into the second one and rolling on the ground. Fortunately he used his momentum to strike at Papyrus once more.

"_YEAH! DON'T MAKE ME USE MY SPECIAL ATTACK!_" Declared the skeleton.

"Nemo behind you!" Shouted Frisk.

"Huh?" Asked Nemo as a bone came at him from behind and smacked him in the face. He staggered back and ducked under a bone that flew overhead. He jumped over another three small bones and a medium one. He then ducked under another long one. Nemo panted as he heard Papyrus cackle. He glared as he moved and punched the skeleton again.

"_I CAN ALMOST TASTE MY FUTURE POPULARITY!_" Said the skeleton.

"_What is this guy made of?" _Nemo mentally demanded. He looked over his shoulder just in time to see three long bones come his way, all of which he evaded, following the bones was an Uber long blue bone that Nemo managed to land in front of and hold still long enough for it to pass him. He turned expecting to be able to attack again, only to get a bone to the face that sent him sprawling.

"_PAPYRUS: HEAD OF THE ROYAL GUARD!_" Declared the skeleton as Nemo forced himself to his feet. Nemo saw a duo of bones come his way, leaving him a small gap to leap through, fortunately he managed to make the jump before rolling under of another long bone, and then leapt over a group of six bones that got longer the closer they were to the middle. "_PAPYRUS: UNPARALLELED SPAGHETTORE!_" More bones came at Nemo from opposite directions which he managed to leap over some, but got struck by one before stopping as another blue bone passed him. He then leapt a few more times, but got struck by another bone. Despite the hits he'd taken he managed to run at Papyrus and punch him again. "_UNDYNE WILL BE REALLY PROUD OF ME!_" Nemo jumped over even more bones that kept getting longer and shorter making timing critical. Unfortunately this attack still left him with another hit as he charged at the cackling Papyrus, landing a kick. "_THE KING WILL TRIM A HEDGE IN THE SHAPE OF MY SMILE!_" Nemo was amazed, even despite all this, this smiling nut job was still in the exact same spot, he'd barely even budged. Three pairs of bones slowly crept at him from opposite sides. The first two pairs were avoided easily enough but he managed to take a hit from one of the bones in the third pair. "_MY BROTHER WILL… WELL, HE WON'T CHANGE VERY MUCH._" This time, four pairs of smaller, faster bones came his way. Nemo avoided the first pair, took a hit from one from the second pair, and evaded the last two. He stood there panting. He was tired, sore all over, and was pretty sure he was bleeding from _somewhere_, but had yet to figure out where.

His head slowly turned to see Frisk, who was watching him in concern. He then forced a grin onto his face to try and reassure them. "_I can't give up, not yet, I promised Frisk that I'd get them back to the surface." _He thought, then his eyes became half lidded as he staggered for a moment before straightening himself out. "_Let's do this."_

"_I'LL HAVE LOTS OF ADMIRERS! BUT…_" Said Papyrus as more bones went his way, Nemo did his best to jump over them, but one wound up striking his shoulder. "_HOW WILL I KNOW IF PEOPLE SINCERELY LIKE ME?_"

"_Huh?"_ Asked Nemo mentally, being a little caught off guard by that question. Then came the next barrage he caught his foot on the first bone of the barrage, then the next two pairs of bones were ones that left small gaps like before, but these ones were moving up and down, making it exceptionally harder. Nemo grit his teeth before taking a running leap into the air. Unfortunately his timing was off as the top bone of the first pair struck his back, causing him to let out a choked cough before falling towards the bottom bone of the second pair, and at the angle he was falling, he was gonna get run through. Time seemed to slow down for Nemo at that moment, realizing that he was toast.

"Nemo!" He heard a voice shout from behind him. He was just barely turned his head enough to see Frisk running his way.

"_Sorry Frisk, guess I wasn't able to protect you." _Were Nemo's final thoughts as he closed his eyes and reached the bone.

Only for it to pass through him with no negative effect and he face planted in the snow. He groaned as he laid there, and voices spoke around him. "_YOU'RE TOO WEAK! I WAS EASILY ABLE TO CAPTURE YOU!_"

"Nemo!"

"_WORRY NOT HUMANS! I SHALL NOW TAKE YOU TO THE CAPTURE ZONE!_"

Nemo groaned as his eyes fluttered shut and the world around him faded into black.

_**End of Page 10**_


	11. Chapter 2, Page 6

Nemo groaned as he regained consciousness. "_My head…"_ He thought tiredly as the pain from his headache gnawed at his mind.

"Nemo!" He heard a voice shout, but his head felt too fuzzy to recognize it. Suddenly he felt someone wrap their arms around him. His eyes managed to refocus as he saw Frisk hugging him.

"Hey kiddo, what happened?" He said as he rubbed his head.

"After Papyrus best you he threw us in here." Explained Frisk.

"Riiight. I remember." Said Nemo. Then he narrowed his eyes in confusion. "How am I not dead? That last bone went _through _me, but it didn't even hurt. That doesn't make sense."

"I don't know, but I was so scared, I though you had died." They replied softly.

"Yeah, sorry to scare you like that. Looks like Papyrus is craftier than we gave him credit for." Said Nemo. He then looked around. "Where are we anyway?"

"The skeletons' garage." Explained Frisk. "Or as Papyrus called it, 'the capture zone'."

"Why capture us though? Why not just kill us and take our souls?" Asked Nemo in confusion.

"Maybe he didn't know he was supposed to kill us? He did say that he didn't know what would happen once we were taken to Asgore." Said Frisk.

"You're probably right, well I guess what means we hopefully won't have to worry about him killing us." Nemo paused for a moment after saying this. Then he groaned and put his face in his hands.

"What's wrong?" Asked Frisk.

"What's wrong? What isn't wrong?" Asked Nemo drily. "We're trapped _underground _with _monsters _who want to _kill _us, and we're now talking about why the magic skeleton didn't murder me. I may not have my memories from before getting trapped down here, but I'm certain my life wasn't this bizarre."

"I guess you're right." Said Frisk softly as they looked down. Nemo looked over at them and sighed.

"Look, don't worry about it, soon enough we'll be back on the surface and if we're lucky, our lives can go back to normal and we can try to reclaim our memories." He said. "_If they can be reclaimed."_ He thought but knew better than to say. He then noticed something was in his pocket. He reached down and pulled out the bandanna. "Ha." He laughed

"What is it?" Asked Frisk as they looked back at him.

"Look what I forgot to give you." Said Nemo as he held out the bandanna to them. Frisk looked at the bandanna and began to giggle. "Yes, yes, laugh."

"Here." Said Frisk as they pulled his scarf of their neck and held it out to him. "Trade?"

Nemo looked at them in surprise and then grinned. "Trade." He replied as he took the scarf from them and gave them the bandanna. Nemo put the scarf around his neck so fast it seemed like one swift motion. He then looked over to Frisk and couldn't help but snicker at what he saw. The ribbon was strewn on the ground as Frisk struggled to tie the bandanna. "Good grief, get over here." Frisk didn't say anything as they moved over to him. "Around your neck or your forehead?"

"Huh?" Asked Frisk, looking at him in confusion.

"Do you want me to buy it around your neck or on your forehead?" Asked Nemo.

Frisk was quiet for a moment. Then they eventually replied with, "Neck." Nemo nodded his head as he gently put the bandanna around their neck and tied it into a neat knot. "How are you so good at this?" Asked Frisk.

"Good at what? Tying bandannas?" Asked Nemo.

"Just this stuff in general. Scarves, ribbons, bandannas." Listed off Frisk.

"Well I'm an amnesiac so I don't know why exactly, but I'd have to wager that I'm an anime nerd. If the scarf is any indicator." Replied Nemo in a neutral voice.

"Ah." Replied Frisk, unsure how to respond.

"Aaand if I am, so what?" Asked Nemo with a shrug. "It's who I was, and/or am, if that makes sense, it probably won't make a difference regardless, if you know what I mean."

"I… think so?" Said Frisk uncertainly.

"Eh, whatever. Anywho, I'm done so you can stand up now." Said Nemo.

"Oh, right." Said Frisk as they stood up. The pair then looked around. Nemo walked over and crouched down in front of a squeaky bone chew toy. "I found a note from Papyrus." Said Frisk.

"What's it say?" Asked Nemo as he stood up and looked at Frisk.

Frisk cleared their throat before saying, "Sorry, I have to lock you in the guest room until Undyne arrives."

"_Undyne?" _Wondered Nemo. "_I think I've heard that name before."_

"Feel free to make yourself at home." Continued Frisk. "Refreshments and accommodations have been provided. Nyehfully yours, Papyrus."  
"'Nyehfully'?" Said Nemo questioningly. Then he shook his head. "Whatever." He looked around and all he saw was a bed too small to sleep on and a bowl of what appeared to be dog food.

Nemo then turned and saw what looked like the bars of a jail cell, but they were spread so apart that someone could easily walk through. "Is that supposed to keep us here?"

"I think so." Said Frisk.

"Well it doesn't matter, let's go, and this time I'm gonna beat him." Said Nemo.

"Right." Said Frisk as the pair started to walk, but then Nemo stopped.

"One second." He said.

"What is it?" Asked Frisk.

Nemo reached into his pocket and pulled out the bisicle. "Let's eat _something_ before facing him."

"Alright." Said Frisk as they walked back to him. He then broke the bisicle into two unisicles and gave one to Frisk. The pair then munched on their sweet treats. Once finished, they walked out of the skeletons' garage back into the snow and went back to where they met Papyrus last time. The pair walked through the once again foggy area together. They didn't get far when they heard a familiar voice.

"_OH… WHERE COULD THOSE HUMANS HAVE GONE… WAIT… THEY'RE RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME!_" Said Papyrus. "_HELLO! I WAS WORRIED THAT YOU HAD GOTTEN LOST! IT SURE IS A RELIEF TO KNOW THAT YOU'RE RIGHT HERE… WAIT A SECOND! YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO ESCAPE! GET BACK THERE!_" Then the fog cleared, revealing the skeleton standing before them.

"Papyrus." Said Nemo.

"_HM? WHAT IS IT HUMAN?_" Asked Papyrus.

"You may have beaten me last time, but this time I don't plan on losing to you." Said Nemo as he cracked his knuckles with a grin.

"_IS THAT SO? WELL THEN, FACE ME HUMAN, AND I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL DEFEAT YOU ONCE MORE!_" Replied Papyrus as Nemo's soul manifested in front of him. Nemo took the initiative and punched the skeleton. "_BEHOLD!_" Suddenly his soul became blue as the familiar feeling of increased weight weighed him down. Two small bones came at Nemo, followed by a medium sized bone, all of which he was able to leap over. As he jumped he moved over and punched Papyrus again. "_HOW HIGH CAN YOU JUMP?_" Asked Papyrus. This time a series of seven bones came at Nemo, one small, followed by three medium, followed by three larger bones, all of which Nemo jumped over, and as he leapt over the last bone, he took advantage of being airborne and swung his leg at Papyrus. Despite all these attacks, the skeleton barely even flinched.

"_Are his bones made of steel!?" _Questioned Nemo internally.

"_YEAH! DON'T MAKE ME USE MY SPECIAL ATTACK!_" Said Papyrus.

"Wait." Said Nemo as he paused and pointed at his soul with both hands. "Isn't _this _your special attack?"

"Behind you!" Shouted Frisk. Nemo turned and saw a medium bone coming at him, with an extra long bone behind it floating in the air followed by three small bones. Nemo grit his teeth as he leapt over the first bone and ducked under the second. He then jumped over the first small bone in one jump and cleared the two following ones in another large jump. Then a large bone came at him with another extra long bone behind it floating in the air. Nemo barely cleared it before hitting the ground and rolling under it. He panted as he stood up to face Papyrus.

"_I CAN ALMOST TASTE MY FUTURE POPULARITY!_" Said the skeleton.

"_Huh, deja vu."_ Thought Nemo. Nemo looked over his shoulder and saw three long bones followed by an extra large blue bone, he jumped over the long bones and froze as the blue one passed him. What he didn't notice as the small bone that came from behind him and caught his leg.

He hissed in pain as he heard Papyrus whisper, "_NYEH HEH HEH._" He ignored the soreness in his leg as he rushed at Papyrus and punched him again. "_PAPYRUS: HEAD OF THE ROYAL GUARD!_" Declared the skeleton despite the hit. Two bones with a small gap between them came at Nemo from behind, fortunately he noticed them in time to jump through, then he rolled backwards under the extra long bone floating in the air that came from the opposite direction. When it passed him he got to his feet just in time to jump over a line of eight bones that got taller the closer they were to the middle. As he hit the ground, he turned to Papyrus and did a jump kick at him. "_PAPYRUS: UNPARALLELED SPAGHETTORE!_"

"_He can't think of something else to say?" _Wondered Nemo. Four bones came at him from behind, two on the ground and two floating in the air,leaving a gap for him to jump through. He managed to leap through the gap, only for a similar group of bones to come at him again, only this time the gap was higher. Nemo tried to jump it, but his foot caught on one of the lower bones and he fell on his back, he laid there for a moment as he noticed a blue bone pass him. He then rolled to his feet to jump over a long bone. Then two pairs of bones with gaps between them came at him from opposite directions. He tried to time the jump just right, but his foot caught again, but not enough to knock him over. He also noticed that when a bone hit him, it'd disappear.

"_UNDYNE WILL BE REALLY PROUD OF ME!_" Said Papyrus as Papyrus sent even more bones that kept getting longer and shorter at Nemo. Unfortunately this attack still left him with another hit as he charged at the cackling Papyrus, landing a kick. "_THE KING WILL TRIM A HEDGE IN THE SHAPE OF MY SMILE!_" Three pairs of slow moving medium bones came at Nemo from opposite side, all of which he managed to jump over. As the skeleton prepared his next bone attack, Nemo landed another punch. "_MY BROTHER WILL… WELL, HE WON'T CHANGE VERY MUCH._" This time, four pairs of smaller, faster bones came his way. Nemo avoided the first pair, took a hit from one from the second pair, and evaded the last two. Nemo ran and punched the skeleton again. "_I'LL HAVE LOTS OF ADMIRERS! BUT…_" Nemo leapt over a small bone before facing pairs of bones with gaps that got higher with each pair. Nemo evaded the first pair, was hit be the second, and then cleared the following two. "_HOW WILL I KNOW IF PEOPLE SINCERELY LIKE ME?_"

"_Interesting, seems like there's more to this skeleton than meet the eye."_ Thought Nemo. He was then faced with an attack pattern identical to the previous one, but in reverse. After those bones passed, two pairs of bones that kept getting longer and shorter, altering the location of the gaps, attacked Nemo, with a running jump, Nemo leapt through the gaps at the right time. He hit the ground and rolled, using his momentum to stand up and hit Papyrus.

"_SOMEONE LIKE YOU IS RARE…_" Said Papyrus. Nemo jumped through two groups of bones that came at him from behind and then leapt over a group that came at him from the front. He again used being airborne to his advantage as he did a mid air kick at Papyrus. "_BEHOLD…! MY SPECIAL ATTACK!_"

"_Crud."_ Thought Nemo as he got the feeling he wouldn't enjoy what came next. But then he looked past Papyrus and saw a familiar dog chewing on a bone.

"_WHAT THE HECK!_" Said Papyrus. "_THAT'S MY SPECIAL ATTACK! HEY! YOU STUPID DOG! DO YOU HEAR ME!? STOP MUNCHING ON THAT BONE!_" The dog then began to drag the bone away. "_HEY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING! COME BACK HERE WITH MY SPECIAL ATTACK!_" Papyrus was quiet for a moment as the dog vanished with his special attack, earning a snicker from Nemo. "_OH WELL.. I'LL JUST USE A REALLY COOL REGULAR ATTACK._"  
This caused the snickering to cease. "_Uh oh." _Thought Nemo.

The skeleton sighed. "_HERE'S AN ABSOLUTELY NORMAL ATTACK._" He said. Nemo jumped over two small bones that came from behind, then two from the front. Then he jumped over two long bones that came from opposite directions, then a pair of length changing bones came from opposite sides, Nemo got hit by one, and avoided the other, a pair of floating length changing bones came from opposite sides next while he was still in the air, but he managed to get beneath them in time just for two more pairs of length changing bones came from opposite sides, both of which Nemo leapt over. A trio of length changing bones came from the front, which Nemo had to backpedal from until they were short enough for him to leap over. Only for him to have to repeat the process with a trio of bones that came from the opposite direction. Suddenly the bone that the dog took got dragged across the ground, while the dog still had it in it's mouth, and took out Nemo's legs. Then came a group of bones spelling out the words "Cool Dude" came at him, Nemo managed to avoid most of the letters but he got hit by the "D" before landing on the ground and having to jump over a bone riding a skateboard, something Nemo would've verbally question, had it not been for the fact that this was not the time, nor the place. Nemo then looked at what was next, only for his jaw to drop at the sight of the _army_ of bones flying at him followed by a _gigantic _bone. Nemo was almost prepared to give up there, but then he felt something tug his soul and he was flung into the air while he flailed his arms, he could see Papyrus gawking down at him as he cleared the giant bone before falling to the ground. He stood up just to see a particularly short bone come at him at a ridiculously slow speed. As it reached him, Nemo simply took a small step over it. He looked over to see Papyrus panting while still smiling. "_WELL…! IT'S CLEAR… YOU CAN'T! ...DEFEAT ME! YEAH! I CAN SEE YOU SHAKING IN YOUR BOOTS! THEREFORE, I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, ELECT TO GRANT YOU PITY!_"

"_Is it too late to kill him?"_ WOndered Nemo as he closed his eyes in annoyance.

"_I WILL SPARE YOU HUMANS! NOW'S YOUR CHANCE TO ACCEPT MY MERCY._" Said Papyrus. Nemo looked over his shoulder to see Frisk smiling at him. He then looked back at Papyrus who had his hand extended and a smile on his face. Nemo sighed as he rolled his eyes and took the skeleton's hand in his own.

"That was a good fight Papyrus." Said Nemo as his soul vanished.

_**Page 11 End**_


	12. Chapter 2, Page 7

Papyrus was looking the opposite direction as he let out a sad sound. "_NYOO HOO HOO…_" He said. "_I CAN'T EVEN STOP SOMEONE AS WEAK AS YOU…_" Nemo's eye twitched in annoyance at that. "_UNDYNE'S GOING TO BE DISAPPOINTED IN ME. I'LL NEVER JOIN THE ROYAL GUARD… AND… MY FRIEND QUANTITY WILL REMAIN STAGNANT!_"

"Let's be friends." Nemo and Papyrus turned to look at Frisk, who was smiling at them.

"_REALLY!? YOU WANT TO BE FRIENDS, WITH ME?_" Asked Papyrus. Frisk continued to smile as they nodded. "_WELL THEN… I GUESS… I GUESS I CAN MAKE AN ALLOWANCE FOR YOU! WOW! I HAVE FRIENDS! AND WHO KNEW THAT ALL I NEEDED TO MAKE THEM… WAS TO GIVE PEOPLE AWFUL PUZZLES AND FIGHT THEM?_"

"_No comment." _Thought Nemo.

"_YOU'VE TAUGHT ME A LOT, HUMANS._" Said Papyrus. "_I HEREBY GRANT YOU PERMISSION TO PASS THROUGH! AND I'LL GIVE YOU DIRECTIONS TO THE SURFACE._" Nemo perked up at that. "_CONTINUE FORWARD UNTIL YOU REACH THEN END OF THE CAVERN. THEN… WHEN YOU REACH THE CAPITAL, CROSS THE BARRIER. THAT'S THE MAGICAL SEAL TRAPPING US ALL UNDERGROUND. ANYTHING CAN ENTER THROUGH IT, BUT NOTHING CAN EXIT… EXCEPT SOMEONE WITH A POWERFUL SOUL… LIKE YOU! THAT'S WHY THE KIN WANTS TO ACQUIRE A HUMAN. HE WANTS TO OPEN THE BARRIER WITH SOUL POWER. THEN US MONSTERS CAN RETURN TO THE SURFACE! OH, I ALMOST FORGOT TO TELL YOU… TO REACH THE EXIT, YOU WILL HAVE TO PASS… THROUGH THE KING'S CASTLE. THE KING OF ALL MONSTERS… HE IS… WELL… HE'S A BIG FUZZY PUSHOVER!_"

"_Huh?" _Thought Nemo as he tilted his head in confusion, you could practically see the question marks floating above his head.

"_EVERYBODY LOVES THE GUY._" Said Papyrus.

"_Not everybody." _Thought Nemo.

"_I AM CERTAIN IF YOU JUST SAY… 'EXCUSE ME, MR. DREEMURR… CAN I PLEASE GO HOME?' HE'LL GUIDE YOU RIGHT TO THE BARRIER HIMSELF!_" Said Papyrus.

"'_Dreemurr'? Where have I heard that name before?" _Wondered Nemo.

"_ANYWAY! THAT'S ENOUGH TALKING! I'LL BE AT HOME BEING A COOL FRIEND! FEEL FREE TO COME BY AND HANG OUT! NYEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH!_" Laughed Papyrus as he literally walked on the air over their heads and back to the village as Nemo stared at him with a stupefied expression.

"How did he…?" Asked Nemo.

"Magic." Said Frisk.

"Hardy, har, har." Said Nemo drily. He then turned and looked the other way. "I think we should call it quits for the day, because I _do not _feel like fighting more monsters today."

"Why don't we go visit Papyrus? He and Sans might let us stay for the night." Suggested Frisk. After saying this, they winced slightly.

Nemo looked at the wooden house on the edge of Snowdin that belonged to the skeleton brothers. He then sighed in resignation. "Alright, let's go." He said. Frisk winced again before smiling. The pair then made their way back to Snowdin.

They passed the wooden shed and found themselves in front of Papyrus. "_SO YOU CAME BACK TO SEE ME!_" Said the skeleton excitedly. "_YOU MUST BE REALLY SERIOUS ABOUT THIS… I'LL HAVE TO TAKE YOU SOMEPLACE REALLY SPECIAL… A PLACE I LIKE TO SPEND A LOT OF TIME!_"  
"_Dude, learn how to speak in a way that doesn't sound like _that_!" _Thought Nemo with a pained expression. Suddenly the skeleton turned around and started walking, with Frisk following close behind. Nemo blinked in surprise before running after them while shouting. "Hey! Wait for me!" The trio walked across the small town before the humans stopped as Papyrus did a large U-turn and went back the direction they came, the humans following close behind again.

They walked for a few seconds before stopping. Nemo looked up and a comically large drop of sweat appeared on the side of his head as he saw where they were. "_MY HOUSE!_" Said Papyrus.

"_I honestly can't tell if he's stupid, _trying _to annoy me, or if hes just that f*ck*ng random." _Thought Nemo as he tried to avoid looking annoyed while Papyrus entered the house, followed by Frisk. He sighed before stepping into the house himself.

"_WELCOME TO SCENIC MY HOUSE! ENJOY AND TAKE YOUR TIME!_" Said Papyrus. The house looked normal enough. There was a couch with a TV in front of it, a table near the couch with a book on it, some stairs to the left of the TV that lead to the second floor of the house. He saw a doorway that led to what appeared to be the kitchen, and a table with… a rock on a plate? Nemo walked over and looked at it, seeing that it was covered in sprinkles.. "_THIS IS MY BROTHER'S PET ROCK._" Explained Papyrus. "_HE ALWAYS FORGETS TO FEED IT. AS USUAL, I HAVE TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY._"

"_Rocks… don't eat." _Thought Nemo with a confused expression. He then turned as he heard Frisk giggle. He saw them crouching over what appeared to be a sock with multiple sticky notes around it. He raised and eyebrow but shook his head as he walked over to the book on the small table next to the couch. His eyes widened in surprise when he discovered that this was a joke book that was actually written in english. He picked it up and looked inside. He blinked in confusion when he found a quantum physics book. He opened the quantum physics book to find another joke book. Nemo opens it to find another quantum physics book. Feeling a headache coming on, Nemo decides to shut the books. He then turned and walked to the kitchen. It looked mostly normal as well, save for the sink that rested on what looked like a closet.

"_IMPRESSED?_" Asked Papyrus. "_I INCREASED THE HEIGHT OF MY SINK. NOW I CAN FIT MORE BONES UNDER IT! TAKE A LOOKSY!_"

"_This seems kinda suspect…" _Thought Nemo as he slowly opened the cabinet/closet. Only to see the dog from before nomming on another bone.

"_WHAT!?_" Shouted Papyrus, making Nemo jump. Suddenly the dog booked it under Nemo's legs and out the door. "_CATCH THAT MEDDLING CANINE!_" Nemo walked out of the kitchen and next to Papyrus. "_CURSES!_" Suddenly Nemo heard the sound of a trombone. "_SANS! STOP PLAGUING MY LIFE WITH INCIDENTAL MUSIC!_"

"You gotta admire his dedication to his puns." Commented Nemo.

"Of course you'd say that." Muttered Frisk.

"Hey, I'm not wrong am I?" Asked Nemo. He got no response from the younger human. Nemo turned and walked back to the left side of the TV and to the stairs. "Do you mind if I go upstairs?" He asked the skeleton.

"_GO AHEAD HUMAN._" Said Papyrus. Nemo then made his way up the stairs to the second floor. His gaze immediately landed on the door at the far side of the house, allowing him to see weird colors coming out from under the door. He squinted in confusion as he walked over to the door and crouched down in front of it. He stared at the colors for a moment before trying to open the door. His eyes narrowed in annoyance, he then walked back to the other side of the floor and stopped in front of the door that had a stop sign and yellow tape in front of it. "_THAT'S MY ROOM!_" Said Papyrus cheerfully "_IF YOU'VE FINISHED LOOKING AROUND…. WE COULD GO IN AND… 'HANG-OUT' LIKE A GROUP OF VERY COOL FRIENDS?_"

"_Good grief." _Thought Nemo with a pained expression. "Sure, let's go." He said with a strained voice. The skeleton then ran up the stairs with Frisk close behind him. The trio then entered the room.

Nemo looked around the room to see what was there. Frisk walked over to a box of bones. "_HEY, THOSE ARE ALL THE ATTACKS I USED ON THE LARGER HUMAN._" Said Papyrus. "_GREAT MEMORIES, HUH?_" All his question did was make Nemo remember how Papyrus beat him within an inch of his life and then threw his unconscious body into a shed. "_SEEMS LIKE IT WAS ONLY YESTERDAY… EVEN THOUGH IT BASICALLY JUST HAPPENED._"

"Yeah, greaaat…" Said Nemo drily with a deadpan expression. He looked around and saw the rest of the room, which had a computer, a bookshelf, a table with action figures, a racecar bed, and… "Is that a pirate flag?" Asked Nemo as he walked to the flag.

"_ISN'T IT NEATO?_" Asked Papyrus. "_UNDYNE FOUND IT AT THE BAY… I THINK IT'S FROM THE HUMAN WORLD? NOW, I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE THINKING._"

"_Highly doubtful." _Thought Nemo.

"_WHY WOULD A HUMAN FLAG… HAVE A COOL SKELETON ON IT? WELL… I HAVE A THEORY. I THINK HUMANS… MUST HAVE DESCENDED FROM SKELETONS! NYEH HEH HEH!_" Said Papyrus.

"_He's… not entirely wrong?" _THought Nemo with a conflicted expression. He then walked back to Papyrus.

"_SO, UM… IF YOU'VE SEEN EVERYTHING… DO YOU WANT TO START HANGING OUT?_" Asked the tall skeleton.

"Sure…" Said Nemo as Frisk walked over next to him.

"_OKAY!_" Shouted Papyrus. "_LET'S HANG TEN!_" Suddenly the duo's souls manifested, causing Nemo to stiffen and become defensive. "_HERE WE ARE! HANGING OUT! I'VE NEVER ACTUALLY DONE THIS BEFORE._" This made Nemo relax with a sigh as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "_BUT DON'T WORRY! YOU CAN'T SPELL 'PREPARED' WITHOUT SEVERAL LETTERS FROM MY NAME!_"

"_Again, he's not wrong…" _Thought Nemo.

Papyrus then lifted his gloved hand and pointed at himself. "_I SNAGGED AN OFFICIAL HANGOUT GUIDEBOOK FROM THE LIBRARY!_" He said.

"_They make those?" _Wondered Nemo.

"_WE'RE READY TO HAVE A GREAT TIME!_" Said Papyrus. He then pulled a book from nowhere and started peering through it. "_LET'S SEE… STEP ONE… OPEN THE 'FRIENDSHIP HUD.'_

"The what?" Asked Nemo in confusion.

But he got no response as Frisk suddenly leaned their head back a little bit as if to look at something above Papyrus's head. "_WOWIE! I FEEL SO INFORMED_" Said Papyrus.

"Frisk, do you see something there?" Nemo whispered to his companion.

"Yes, don't you?" They whispered back.

"Nooo…" Said Nemo slowly.

Frisk was quiet for a moment before letting out a simple "Oh." Which only made Nemo more confused.

"_I THINK WE'RE READY FOR STEP TWO! 'STEP TWO… ASK THEM TO HANG OUT.'_" Said Papyrus. He then put the book away and looked at the duo. "_AHEM! HUMANS! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS… WILL HANG OUT WITH YOU!_" A comically large drop of sweat appeared on the side of Nemo's head at this, while Frisk simply gave the skeleton a thumbs up. "_R-REALLY? WOWIE!_" exclaimed Papyrus as he put his hands on his cheeks while (somehow) blushing. His face returned to normal as he spoke. "_I GUESS THAT MEANS IT'S TIME FOR PART THREE! 'STEP THREE… PUT ON NICE CLOTHES TO SHOW YOU CARE!'_" This made Papyrus pause for a moment. "_WAIT A SECOND_"  
"_What now?" _Thought Nemo in annoyance.

"'_WEAR CLOTHING…' THAT BANDANNA AROUND YOUR HEAD… THAT SCARF AROUND YOUR NECK… YOU'RE WEARING CLOTHING RIGHT NOW!_" Exclaimed Papyrus.

"_Because nobody in their right mind prances around without clothes!"_ Nemo decided not to say this out loud.

"_NOT ONLY THAT… EARLIER TODAY, YOU WERE ALSO WEARING CLOTHING! NO… COULD IT BE? YOU'VE WANTED TO HANG OUT WITH ME FROM THE VERY BEGINNING!?_" Exclaimed Papyrus. Frisk smiled and nodded their head while Nmeo groaned and put his face in his hands. This made the skeleton's… eye sockets… bulge(?) while still smiling. "_NO! YOU PLANNED IT ALL! YOU'RE WAY BETTER AT HANGING OUT THAN I AM! N-NOOOO! YOUR FRIENDSHIP POWER!_" Nemo kept a flat expression as he looked back at Papyrus. "_NYEH! NYEH HEH HEH!_" Laughed Papyrus. "_DON'T THINK YOU'VE BESTED ME YET! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS… HAVE NEVER BEEN BEATEN AT HANGING OUT, AND I NEVER WILL! I CAN EASILY KEEP UP WITH YOU! YOU SEE, I, TOO, CAN WEAR CLOTHING!_"

"_You're wearing it right now!" _Thought Nemo in frustration.

"_IN FACT… I ALWAYS WEAR MY 'SPECIAL' CLOTHES UNDERNEATH MY REGULAR CLOTHES!_" Said Papyrus.

"_Again with the misleading wording!" _Thought Nemo.

"_JUST IN CASE SOMEONE WANTS TO HANG OUT! BEHOLD!_" Shouted Papyrus as he swiftly moved out of their field of vision. Nemo's head whipped around as he tried to find him, and when he looked back, he saw Papyrus standing in front of them once more while… wearing the most ridiculous outfit ever.

"_Kill me now."_ Thought Nemo.

"_NYEH! WHAT DO YOU THINK OF MY SECRET STYLE!?_" Asked Papyrus.

"I love it!" Said Frisk. This made the skeleton's eye sockets bulge again.

"_NO! A GENUINE COMPLIMENT…!_" Said Papyrus. Then his face returned to normal as he looked at them. "_HOWEVER… YOU DON'T TRULY UNDERSTAND THE HIDDEN POWER OF THIS OUTFIT! THEREFORE… WHAT YOU JUST SAID IS INVALID!_" THis earned him a confused look from Frisk and a deadpan one from Nemo. "_THIS HANG-OUT WON'T ESCALATE ANY FURTHER! ...UNLESS YOU FIND MY SECRET! BUT THAT WON'T HAPPEN!_"

This made Frisk and Nemo examine the outfit. "_I'm not sure if I _want _to know the secret…"_ Thought Nemo.

"Is it your shirt?" Asked Frisk.

"_THIS SHIRT DIDN'T ORIGINALLY SAY 'COOL,' BUT I IMPROVED IT. EXPERT TIP, ALL CLOTHING ARTICLES CAN BE IMPROVED THIS WAY. BUT NO, THIS IS NOT IT._" Said Papyrus.

Nemo's gaze wandered down. "Is it your shoes?" He asked.

"_HUMAN SOULS ARE STRONGER THAN MONSTER SOULS…_" Said Papyrus. "_BUT THE SOLES OF OUR SHOES ON THE OTHER HAND…! ...ARE ABOUT THE SAME._"

"Is it your hat?" Asked Frisk.

"_MY HAT…?_" Asked Papyrus. "_MY HAT. MY HAT! NYEH HEH HEH!_" Suddenly the hat on his head lifted up, revealing a present underneath. "_W-WELL THEN… YOU FOUND MY SECRET! I SUPPOSE I HAVE NO CHOICE! IT'S A PRESENT… A PRESENT J-JUST FOR YOU!_"

"Can I open it?" Asked Frisk.

"_OF COURSE!_" Said Papyrus as he handed the box to them, who proceeded to open it, revealing a plate of spaghetti. "_DO YOU KNOW WHAT THIS IS?_"

"Spaghetti?" Asked Nemo.

"_NYEH HEH HEH! THAT'S RIGHT. YOU HAVE NO IDEA! THOUGH THIS APPEARS TO BE SPAGHETTI… THIS AIN'T ANY PLAIN OL' PASTA! THIS IS AN ARTISAN'S WORK! SILKEN SPAGHETTI, FINELY AGED IN AN OAKEN CASK… THEN COOKED BY ME, MASTER CHEF PAPYRUS! HUMAN! IT'S TIME TO END THIS! THERE'S NO WAY THIS CAN GO ANY FURTHER._" Said Papyrus. Frisk then grabbed the fork on the plate and ate some of the spaghetti. Resulting in their face reflexively scrunching up, making Nemo wince in pity. "_WHAT A PASSIONATE EXPRESSION! YOU MUST REALLY LOVE MY COOKING! AND BY EXTENSION, ME! MAYBE EVEN MORE THAN IT DO! AUGH! URGH! NOOOOOOO!_" All Nemo could do was stare flatly at the weirdo skeleton. He then calmed down and faced the human duo. "_HUMANS. IT'S CLEAR NOW. YOU'RE COMPLETELY OBSESSED WITH ME. EVERYTHING YOU DO. EVERYTHING YOU SAY. IT'S ALL BEEN FOR MY SAKE._"

"_Sheesh."_ Thought Nemo.

"_HUMANS. I WANT YOU TO BE HAPPY, TOO. IT'S TIME FOR ME TO EXPRESS MY FEELINGS. IT'S TIME THAT I TOLD YOU. I, PAPYRUS…_" The skeleton trailed off for a moment. "_HMM… WELL, I'M FLATTERED THAT YOU CARE SO MUCH. BUT MAYBE COOL IT A LITTLE BIT…?_"

"_You are the last person that I want to hear the words 'cool it' from!" _Thought Nemo in annoyance.

"_YOU ARE VERY NICE PEOPLE. I'M GLAD WE'RE FRIENDS. BUT, I THINK YOU CAN REACH YOU MAX POTENTIAL… IF YOU LIVE MORE FOR YOUR OWN SAKE, RATHER THAN JUST FOR MINE. HMMM… HEY, I KNOW THE SOLUTION! YOU SHOULD HANG OUT WITH MY BOSS UNDYNE! I THINK IF YOU SPREAD YOUR FRIEND-ENERGY OUT MORE… YOU'LL HAVE A MORE HEALTHY LIFESTYLE. YEAH! LET'S BE FRIENDS WITH UNDYNE! NYEH HEH HEH HEH!_" Papyrus. "_OH, AND IF YOU EVER NEED TO REACH ME… HERE'S MY PHONE NUMBER. YOU CAN CALL ME ANY TIME! PLATONICALLY. WELL, GOTTA GO! NYEH HEH HEH!_" Suddenly the duo's souls dissipated as the skeleton began to walk away..

"Actually, Papyrus, I have a question." Said Nemo.

"_YES? WHAT IS IT TALLER HUMAN?_" Asked Papyrus.

"Is it ok if we crash here? We're tired and don't have anywhere to stay." Asked Nemo.

"_BUT OF COURSE! YOU ARE MORE THAN WELCOME TO STAY IN THE HUMBLE ABODE OF THE GREAT PAPYRUS!_" Declared Papyrus. Nemo sighed at his words and smiled.

"Thanks Papyrus." He said.

**Page 12 End**

**Chapter 2 End**

_**DUALTALE**_


	13. Chapter 3, Page 1

Nemo's eyes opened slowly. He looked around slowly as he tried to take his surroundings in. He then remembered the previous day. "Riiight, right, right, right…" He thought as he shook his head to clear the sleepiness away. He then stood up and walked to the kitchen. He poured himself a glass of water, something that took a bit of effort, considering the fact that he needed to find a cup, and then hoist himself up to that sink. Eventually he was back on the floor with his glass. He then downed it almost instantly, before yawning and looking around. He made his way to the pantry and took a peek at what food the skeletons owned. Eventually his eyes landed on a packet of oatmeal. "Better than nothing…" He thought as he grabbed it. One frustrating process of finding a bowl and getting more milk from the fridge later, Nemo was leaning against a counter as he waited for the microwave to finish his breakfast. As he waited, Frisk, who was suffering from some serious bed head, came downstairs and sat down at the table. "Morning kiddo." Said Nemo.

"Good morning." Said Frisk sleepily. Suddenly the microwave beeped and Nemo turned to pull the food out. He brought the bowl to Frisk and held it out to them.

"Want some?" He asked. Frisk looked at it before nodding their head.

"K, enjoy, I'll make some more for myself." Said Nemo as he placed the bowl in front of them. He then noticed the lack of a spoon for them to eat with and sighed as he went back to the kitchen to retrieve one. Moments later he returned and put a spoon in the bowl. As he returned to the kitchen he heard whispering behind him. "You say something?" Asked Nemo as he looked at Frisk over his shoulder.

"N-no, nothing." Said Frisk nervously. Nemo raised his eyebrow in confusion but shrugged it off and returned to what he was doing. "Do you know where Papyrus and Sans are?" Asked Frisk after a moment.

"Nope." Said Nemo as he worked on his own breakfast. "They must've left already, and we should probably do the same."

"Alright." Said Frisk calmly. It took a few minutes, but Nemo was now sitting next to them as he ate his oatmeal as well. Nemo propped his elbow on the table and rested his head on his fist as he ate, not saying anything. Once the food was gone, he brought their dishes to the sink, rinsed the food stuck to the sides, and went back to Frisk.

"Ready?" Asked Nemo. Frisk nodded their head. With that the pair exited the house, and after casting one last look at Snowdin, the duo continued to the next area. Nemo looked at the ground and noticed that the snow had been replaced with dirt. He looked back and saw where the snow abruptly ended. "Weird…" He muttered under his breath. They walked forward past the little river that had large ice blocks floating down it. Nemo looked to the right and saw the waterfalls falling from who knows where. "Gee, what's this place called, Wetland?" He asked sarcastically.

"Waterfall actually." Said Frisk after a second. Nemo looked down at them with a raised eyebrow. "Uh… I think that's what it's called, I mean." They said nervously.

"Ok…" Said Nemo slowly. Suddenly the pair found themselves in a spot with two monsters, a blue flower, a sentry station, and a save point. Frisk walked over and put their hand over it, causing the same warm feeling to wash over the duo. Nemo looked over at the blue flower.

"This is an Echo Flower." Explained the monster standing next to it. "It repeats the last thing it heard, over and over…"

"Well that isn't ominous in any way, shape, or form." Thought Nemo with a flat expression.

"This an Echo Flower." Said a voice next to them, causing Nemo to look to his right in surprise. "It repeats the last thing it heard, over and over…" He realized that the flower was speaking.

"That's… unsettling." Thought Nemo.

"Neat, huh?" Asked the monster.

"Neat, huh?" Repeated the flower.

"And now it's becoming annoying." Thought Nemo. He then turned and saw Frisk talking to a shorter monster. "C'mon Frisk, lets go." He said.

"Ok." Said Frisk as they followed him. The pair walked past the sentry station to see Sans sitting at it. They stopped and looked at him.

"What? Haven't you seen a guy with two jobs before?" Asked the smiling skeleton.

"Even if I did, I wouldn't remember anyway." Thought Nemo.

"Fortunately, two jobs means twice as many legally-required breaks." Said Sans. "I'm going to Grillby's. Wanna come?"

"N-." Started Nemo.

"Yes." Said Frisk.

"Fri- ah… forget it." Sighed Nemo.

"Well, if you insist… I'll pry myself away from my work…" Said Sans as he walked out from behind his station. "Over here. I know a shortcut." He said as he walked in the direction away from Snowdin.

"Wha-?" Said Nemo in confusion as Frisk followed the skeleton. "Sans!" He then ran after the pair. Next thing he knew he was in a warm building and there were monsters all around him. He stumbled a little as he halted his running to look around in confusion. "What, how!?"

"Fast shortcut, huh?" Asked Sans. Nemo simply looked at him and then at Frisk who simply shrugged. Nemo then slowly buried his face in his hands and let out a muffled scream.

"Are you ok?" Asked Frisk worriedly

"Why do I question it anymore?" Mumbles Nemo.

"Huh?" Asked Frisk.

"Expect the unexpected, and accept it while we're at it." Said Nemo simply. "From now on, that'll be my philosophy."

"Heh, sounds interesting kid, now c'mon and take a seat." Said Sans as he nodded to the three open seats. The trio then started walking to the seats. "Hey, everyone." He said to the other monsters as they walked.

"Hi Sans." Said the male and female dogs from the royal guard.

"Greeting Sans." Said another monster.

"Hiya, Sansy~." Said a fourth monster.

As they reached their seats, which were located just in front of a fancily dressed fire monster who was wiping a glass, another monster spoke up. "Hey Sans, weren't you just here for breakfast a few minutes ago?"

"Nah, I haven't had breakfast in at least half an hour." Said Sans. He then winked his left eye socket closed. "You must be thinking of brunch." This resulted in laughter from the other monsters. "Here, get comfy." Said Sans as he nodded to the seats. With that the trio sat down with Sans in the middle and the humans on both sides. Nemo jumped in surprise at the sound of a pair of whoopee cushions deflating. "Whoops, watch where you sit down. Sometimes weirdos put whoopee cushions on the seats." Nemo gave the skeleton an unimpressed look but said nothing. "Anyway, let's order. Whaddya want, fries or a burger?"

"Burger." Said Nemo.

"Me too." Said Frisk.

"Hey, that sounds pretty good. Grillby, we'll have a triple order of burg." Said Sans. Grillby, the fire monster, said nothing bad he walked away into the back room. "So, what do you think… of my brother?"

"A bit of a doofus, but he's a good guy." Said Nemo.

"He's cool." Said Frisk.

"Of course he's cool. You'd be cool too if you wore that outfit everyday. He'd only take that off if he absolutely had to." Said Sans.

"Gross." Said Nemo.

"Oh well. At least he washes it. And by that I mean he wears it in the shower." Said Sans.

"Gross." Said Nemo. Suddenly Grillby returned with their food.

"Here comes the grub." Said Sans. "Want some ketchup?"

"Sure, why not." Said Nemo as he took the bottle of ketchup.

"Bone appetit." Said Sans with a wink, causing Nemo to let out a scoff of amusement as he turned the bottle over his burger. But then the cap fell off and the contents poured all over his food.

"Gah!" Exclaimed Nemo as some of the ketchup splattered on his clothes.

"Whoops. Eh, forgeddaboudit. You can have mine. I'm not hungry anyway." Said Sans. He then slid the burger over to Nemo, who took the burger and took a bite out of it. "Anyway, cool or not, you have to agree Papyrus tries real hard. Like how he keeps trying to be part of the royal guard. One day, he went to the house of the head of the royal guard… and begged her to let him be in it. Of course, she shut the door on him because it was midnight." This resulted in Nemo choking on his food from laughing. Once he was done Sans continued. "But the next day, she woke up and saw him still waiting there. Seeing his dedication, she decided to give him Warrior training. It's, uh, still a work in progress." The skeleton was quiet for a few seconds after that. "Oh yeah, I wanted to ask you something." This made Nemo look over at Sans with a raised eyebrow. "Have you ever heard of a talking flower?" Nemo froze as his thoughts drifted to Flowey.

"Yeah." He replied softly.

"So you know all about it. The echo flower." Said Sans.

"Urk." Said Nemo as his head jerked to the side dramatically.

"They're all over the marsh." Continued Sans. "Say something and they'll repeat it over and over… what about it? Well, Papyrus told me something interesting the other day. Sometimes, when no one else is around… a flower appears and whispers things to him." This resulted in more choking on Nemo's side. "Flattery… advice… encouragement… predictions. Weird, huh?"

"What's that weeds angle?" Thought Nemo.

"Someone must be using an echo flower to play a trick on him. Keep an eye out, ok?" Said Sans.

"Will do." Said Nemo.

"Thanks." Said Sans. He then stood up and turned around. "Welp, that was a long break. I can't believe I let ya pull me away from work for that long." He then turned back and looked at them. "Oh, by the way… I'm flat broke. Can you foot the bill? It's just ten thousand G."

Nemo's jaw dropped at that. "NO!" He exclaimed, causing the other monster to look at him.

"Just kidding." Said Sans, he then looked at Grillby. "Grillby, put it on my tab." He then started walking away, but stopped at the door. "By the way… I was going to say something, but I forgot."

Nemo watched the skeleton go and sighed. "Well that was certainly interesting." He said.

"Yeah." Said Frisk, who was sitting in front of an empty plate.

"Ugh, sorry, just give me a second." Said Nemo as he quickly chomped down the rest of his burger, which was now cold, much to his annoyance. After the food was gone, the human duo left. One short walk later and the pair were back at Sana'a station.

"Let's hang out again sometime." He said as the pair passed him.

"Sure, Sans." Said Nemo as they continued forward to the next area.

_Page 13 End_


	14. Chapter 3, Page 2

Nemo and Frisk stood next to a waterfall that had ice chunks that were a little smaller than Frisk running through it. At the moment, the pair were standing in front of another box and sign. "Does this one say anything different?" Asked Nemo.

"This is a box." Read Frisk. "You can put an item in or take an item out. Why would you, though? You can't use items when they're in the box! Sincerely, a box hater."

All Nemo could do was roll his eyes. "Anyway… let's head across." He said.

"Ok." Said Frisk. With that the duo began to cross the water. Nemo successfully made it across, but just as he turned to look at Frisk, he saw a chunk of ice knock them over the edge.

"Frisk!" Shouted Nemo as he raced over to where they had fallen to check if they were alright. He sighed in relief as he saw them sitting on a weird bridge just below the edge of the waterfall. Suddenly another ice chunk came through and knocked Nemo down to their level. "Ow…" He groaned as he rubbed his head. "You alright?" The lack of a response made Nemo look around in concern, only to see Frisk standing in front of an echo flower.

Nemo walked over to them and managed to catch the tail end of what the echo flower was saying, "...Behind that rushing water…"

"You alright kiddo?" Asked Nemo.

"I'm alright." Said Frisk calmly as they turned and smiled at him.

Nemo quietly looked at them for a moment before looking over his shoulder to see the part of the bridge that'd take them up to where they'd fallen from. He gestured that way with his head while saying, "Come on, lets head back up."

"Alright." Said Frisk as they followed him up the bridge. As they walked, he could hear Frisk mumbling to themselves again, but this time he decides to leave them be. They cross the body of water again, but when Nemo reaches the other side and turns to check on Frisk, he sees that this time they're standing in front of the middle part of the waterfall where nothing was coming through.

"Frisk?" Asked Nemo with a raised eyebrow. Then they abruptly went into the waterfall. "F-Frisk!" He exclaimed as he attempted to run after them, but got hit by another ice chunk, tripping, getting hit by a third ice chunk, sending him over the edge once again, resulting in a grunt of pain as he hit his head on the bridge. He put a hand on his head as he staggered to his feet. He then made his way up to the top again. He found Frisk waiting at the other side of the water, now wearing a worn tutu. He then made his way across and met them. "And where did you wander off to?" He asked.

"This was behind the waterfall." Said Frisk as they looked down at their tutu.

"Why didn't you just say something?" Asked Nemo. Frisk didn't respond and instead just quietly looked away.

Nemo sighed and shook his head. "Look, it's fine. Just… don't do it again." He said.

"Ok…" Said Frisk softly as they looked at the ground. Nemo sighed again.

"Look, I'm not mad at you, I just worry when you run off like that." He said, "Now c'mon, lets keep going."

"Alright." Said Frisk.

The duo passed a cliff and came to a tall bunch of grass. Nemo grimaced made his way through the plus sized weeds. He suddenly stopped as he felt something tug on his hand. He looked over to see Frisk holding his hand in their own. A small smile crossed his lips, but it was soon replaced by a frown as he noticed that Frisk was looking at something at the top of the cliff. He followed their line of sight, and his eyes widened to see someone wearing a suit of armor at the top of the cliff. Suddenly he heard footsteps, Nemo turned and saw Papyrus wall up to the armored person.

"H… HI, UNDYNE!" Greeted the skeleton. "I'M HERE WITH MY DAILY REPORT… UHHH… REGARDING THOSE HUMANS I CALLED YOU ABOUT EARLIER…"

"Undyne?" Whispered Nemo. "The captain of the royal guard."

Undyne turned to Papyrus, and must've said something because he then responded with, "...HUH? DID I FIGHT THEM? Y-YES! OF COURSE I DID! I FOUGHT THEM VALIANTLY!" Undyne turned again. "...WHAT? DID I CAPTURE THEM…?"

"Oh no…" Whispered Nemo with a concerned expression.

"W-W-WELL… NO. I TRIED VERY HARD, UNDYNE, BUT IN THE END…" Said Papyrus. "I FAILED." Undyne turned to him again. "...W-WHAT? YOU'RE GOING TO TAKE THE HUMAN'S SOUL YOURSELF…" Papyrus then approached the slower monster slowly before stopping. "BUT UNDYNE, YOU DON'T H-HAVE TO DESTROY THEM! YOU SEE… YOU SEE…" Undyne then turned to him, causing him to take a few steps backwards. "... I UNDERSTAND. I'LL HELP YOU IN ANY WAY I CAN." Nemo grimaced as the skeleton walked away.

"Let's go." He said Nemo as he attempted to walk away with Frisk.

"Wait." Said Frisk as they pulled on his hand. Nemo looked at them, then he looked at Undyne and his eyes widened as he saw the monster stare down at their direction and walk towards the cliff. Undyne then manifested a spear with magic and aimed it at them, before pausing for a moment, letting the spear dematerialize, and disappeared into the shadows. Nemo wheezed as he let out the breath he'd been holding.

"Dear lord that was terrifying." Gasped Nemo.

"Yeah." Said Frisk quietly.

Nemo looked again to make sure Undyne was gone. "Let's go." He said as he nodded his head in the direction they had initially been going.

"Alright." Said Frisk as the duo exited the weeds. They didn't get far when something burst out of the weeds behind them so fast that Nemo almost leapt out of his skin. He then spun around to see the Monster Kid with a striped shirt bouncing around excitedly. Nemo groaned in exasperation as he hung his head.

"Yo… did you see the way she was staring at you…?" Asked the Monster Kid. Nemo raised his head and then raised his eyebrow at the kid. "That… was AWESOME! I'm SOOOO jealous! What's you do to get her attention…? Ha ha. C'mon! Let's go watch her beat up some bad guys!" Monster Kid then started running from them before face planting, causing the human duo to flinch, before getting up almost immediately, a fact that impressed Nemo due to the fact that he lacked arms, and ran ahead.

"Does… does he not realize we're humans?" Asked Nemo.

Frisk was quiet for a second before speaking up. "Toriel said that it had been many years since the last human fell down here, maybe he hadn't been born yet or was just too young to remember." Nemo stares at them in silence for a moment. "What's wrong?" Asked Frisk.

"I'm pretty sure that's the longest sentence you've ever said to me." Said Nemo with a chuckle. Frisk didn't know how to respond to that and instead just stared at the ground as their cheeks turned a light shade of pink, resulting in more chuckles. They then walked for a short distance before stopping in front of another star. Frisk reaches out and touched it, causing the feeling of warmth to return. Nemo smiled down at his smaller companion before the pair continued onward. They saw a body of water not far across from them, and next to them was a sign.

"When four Bridge Seeds align in the water, they will sprout." Said Frisk.  
"Bridge Seeds?" Asked Nemo in confusion. Frisk was quiet for a moment as they turned their head and looked to the right. They then walked forward and around the corner. Nemo blinked and walked after them. He rounded the corner to see Frisk carrying some sort of large seed pod. They then walked over and placed the pod in the water and it floated to the other side of the water. Nemo watched them go over and repeat the process with a second pod, he then blinked and shook his head before grabbing the third pod and did what Frisk was doing, with the smaller human bringing the fourth pod over. Once all four pods were lined up they miraculously sprouted into flowers, forming a bridge. "Woah." Said Nemo.

"It's pretty." Said Frisk with a smile. Nemo looked down at them and chuckled. Together they crossed the new bridge. They walked and were about to approach a wooden bridge when their souls manifested, and a large… horse… mermaid… Nemo wasn't entirely sure what he was looking at, appeared. "It's a seahorse." Said Frisk, causing Nemo to let out a comedic groan and face plant before standing up again.

"Check all you want." Said the monster with a wink, causing Nemo to give the monster an unimpressed look. Suddenly weird water droplets came from the monster's body, which Nemo couldn't help but make a face of discomfort at. Fortunately the droplets were super slow and easy to dodge. Nemo moved forward as he dodged and when he saw the opening, kicked the seahorse in the face. "Hobbies? Education? Talents?" Asked the monster.

"What's he babbling about?" Wondered Nemo as another set of droplets came at them, at this point Frisk was smart enough to exit the fight while Nemo dodged the gross attack. While the monster was admiring his own muscles, Nemo moved and punched him.

"Come on in, the water's fine." Said the monster with another wink. While he managed to refrain from showing it, this monster's words were starting to annoy him. Suddenly he starts to swing his flexing arms at Nemo, but goes so slow that it's easy to avoid. After a moment the monster gives up as his muscles droop comically. Nemo steps forward to finish the fight but Frisk grabs his hand. Nemo looks over to see them shake their head. Nemo sighs at this as his shoulders drop.

"Scram." Said Nemo as he looked at the seahorse. With a dejected look, he floated away, and their souls vanished. Nemo noticed some G on the ground and picked it up, putting it in his pocket. "Let's go."

"Alright." Said Frisk. The pair walked and came across another set of Bridge Seeds. Nemo took initiative this time and put three seeds in a row on the oddly shaped stream, only to realize that there was no room for a fourth.

"Crud, think I might've jumped the gun here." Said Nemo as he scratched the back of his head. Suddenly the seeds straight up vanished in front of his eyes, making him jump in alarm. He spun around to see the seeds back in their original place, and Frisk standing next to a yellow bell. Nemo let out a nervous chuckle at that. "Alright, let's try that again." He said as he looked back at the water and tried to find where he could put the seeds to create the bridge. After a minute of looking he noticed something. He then grabbed a seed and walked over to the small bridge. He put the seed in the water and watched it float over to a specific part of the water. He then jogged back over and repeated the process with the other three seeds. Soon they had a flower bridge for them to cross. Nemo smiled at Frisk proudly as the pair crossed the bridge and prepared to go through the doorway on the farside of the wall when their phone began to ring. Nemo took it out and answered it. "Hello?"  
"HELLO! THIS IS PAPYRUS!" Exclaimed the taller skeleton loudly enough that Nemo had to jerk the phone away from his ear to avoid going deaf.

"How did you get this number?" Asked Nemo as he returned the phone to his ear.

"HOW DID I GET THIS NUMBER…?" Asked Papyrus. "IT WAS EASY! I JUST DIALED EVERY NUMBER SEQUENTIALLY UNTIL I GOT YOURS! NYEH HEH HEH HEH!" Nemo had to jerk the phone away again, before slowly returning it to his ear. "SO… WHAT IS YOUR COMPANION WEARING…?" Asked Papyrus.

This made Nemo pause as he looked at the phone with a raised eyebrow. "What?" He asked uncertainly.

"I'M… ASKING FOR A FRIEND. SHE THOUGHT SHE SAW THEM WEARING A DUSTY TUTU. IS THAT TRUE? ARE THEY WEARING A DUSTY TUTU?" Asked Papyrus. Nemo looked over at Frisk before looking at the phone.

"Yeah, why?" He asked.

"SO THEY ARE WEARING A DUSTY TUTU… GOT IT! WINK WINK! HAVE A NICE DAY!" Said Papyrus as the phone clicked off.

"That was weird." Said Nemo as he looked at the phone before putting it away. The pair made their way through the doorway and into a strange cavern that was sparkling.

"Are those stars?" Asked Frisk as they looked up. Nemo followed their gaze, and he had to admit that seeing those twinkling lights coming from the pitch dark roof of the cave certainly looked like stars.

"No, they're just rocks that are glowing, creating the illusion of stars." Explained Nemo. "Don't forget, we're underground still."  
"Right…" Said Frisk softly

"A long time ago," Said a voice next to them, causing them to jump in surprise, "monsters would whisper their wishes to the stars in the sky." They looked and saw an Echo Flower next to them. "If you hoped with all your heart, your wish would come true. Now, all we have are these sparkling stones on the ceiling…"

**Page 14 End**


	15. Chapter 3, Page 3

The duo looked at the flower for a moment before Nemo sighed. "Let's go, kiddo." He said with a smile.

"Right." Said Frisk, the pair walked only a few steps before stopping in front of another sign that was unreadable to Nemo. "Wishing Room." Read Frisk.

"Yeah, that checks out." Said Nemo as they turned and continued, passing another Echo Flower.

"Thousands of people wishing together can't be wrong! The king will prove that." It said. They passed another flower.

"C'mon sis! Make a wish!" It said.

The pair were about to go to the one right next to it when their souls manifested and a Woshua shuffled up before them. "Your souls are unclean." Said Woshua as the little bird on top of it let out a tweet. Suddenly a spiral of large water drops went flying at the pair. Nemo dodged the first two spiral sets but grunted as a drop from the third struck his face. He then adjusted his footing and did a spin kick that struck the Woshua. "Out! Darned spot!" It declared. Suddenly a large bar of soap with the word "HELP" written on it started racing around leaving a sparkling clean trail wherever it went. Nemo managed to avoid the bar but when he stepped on one of the cleaned spots he slipped and landed on his side.

Nemo groaned as he sat up looked over at the monster to see it stare at its own wounds in disgust and show that it had no intention of fighting anymore. This made Nemo sigh. "You can leave now." He said, the Woshua nodded and shuffled away, causing the souls of Frisk and Nemo to fade once more.

They continued walking and as they did, they heard the voice of the Echo Flower that sat right next to the last one they'd heard, "I wish my sister and I will see real stars someday…" Nemo looked at the flower for a moment, then his gaze wandered over to Frisk, who was looking through a telescope.

"See something you like?" Asked Nemo with a smile. Frisk then backed away from the telescope and walked down the path to the North, which had a dead end that Nemo could see.

"Ah… seems my horoscope is the same as last week's…" Said the Echo Flower next to him. Nemo raised an eyebrow at the flower before rolling his eyes. Suddenly there was a loud thudding sound. Nemo's head jerked to see Frisk standing in front of the wall, which now had a massive hole in it, and looking at him. Nemo blinked in surprise before jogging over to them.

"Good job kiddo." He said. This earned him a smile from Frisk, and the pair walked through the new doorway and found themselves on a dock. "Hm… what's up with this dock?" Nemo joked, earning an unimpressed look from Frisk. All Nemo could do was smile and shrug. They then looked over and saw a bunch of signs. "Well these look interesting."

"On it." Said Frisk as they walked over and read the first sign aloud. "The War of Humans and Monsters."

"Oh." Said Nemo softly.

Frisk went to the next sign and continued. "Why did the humans attack? Indeed, it seemed that they had nothing to fear Humans are unbelievably strong. It would take the SOUL of nearly every monster… just to equal the power of a single human SOUL."

"Seriously? There's that much of a difference?" Said Nemo as Frisk moved to the next sign and he followed them.

"But humans have one weakness. Ironically, it is the strength of their SOUL. Its power allows it to persist outside the human body, even after death." Read Frisk.

"_So… like a ghost?" _Wondered Nemo as Frisk moved to the fourth sign.

"If a monster defeats a human, they can take its SOUL. A monster with a human SOUL… A horrible beast with unfathomable power." Read Frisk.

This made Nemo's eyes widen. "_And the king is trying to collect multiple souls? Yikes."_ He thought. Frisk went to the last sign, but didn't say anything. "Well, what does it say?" Asked Nemo.

"It doesn't have any words, just a drawing." Said Frisk.

Nemo raised an eyebrow and walked over to look. He stared at the drawing for a moment before stepping away. "Let's… just go." He said.

"Yeah." Said Frisk as the pair continued. Nemo walked in front of them when his arms suddenly flailed for a moment like he had lost his balance. He and Frisk looked down to see that the part of dock he'd stepped on had separated and now he was drifting away from Frisk.

"Nemo!" They shouted as Nemo looked at them concerned.

He then looked down again at the part he was on, and some fast thinking made him choose his next words. "Frisk, jump! Quickly!" He shouted. Frisk blinked in surprise before nodding their head. They took a few steps back before doing a running jump to Nemo. They almost didn't make it, fortunately Nemo caught their outstretched hand mid air and the worst that happened was Frisk's right leg getting wet as only their left foot got a solid grip on the piece of dock, causing their right leg to go into the water, but Nemo managed to pull them up onto the dock with him and the pair drifted for a short time across the pitch black water before the found themselves on another dock, which they quickly stepped onto just in time for the piece of dock to then go the opposite direction to where it originally came from. "No going back now." Said Nemo with a sigh.

"Yeah…" Said Frisk softly. The pair then continued forward. This dock went alongside a long patch of land that had a bunch of trees, though the trees in the front were all they could see as everything behind them was trapped within a veil of pitch darkness.

"It's quiet." Said Nemo, making Frisk look at them. "Too quiet."

"Don't be dram-." Said Frisk, but was cut off as something cyan flew past Nemo and embedded itself in the ground in front of them. They both slowly turned their heads to see a magic spear sticking out of the wood. Their heads then turned to the left to see Undyne standing between two of the trees, staring at them, with three more spears floating above her head.

"Frisk." Said Nemo calmly as he reached down to take their hand.

"Yeah?" Asked Frisk softly.

"RUN!" Shouted Nemo as he took off running while still holding their hand as spears started flying at them. Frisk didn't resist and did their best to keep up as Nemo dragged them along, all while spears continued to fly at them. Nemo let out a groan as a spear flew a little too close to him and put his free hand on his side, which came away damp with blood. His blood. He heard Frisk let out a cry, and he didn't have to look to know they'd been hit. They went around a bendy part of the dock, and Nemo stuck his arm out to stop Frisk as spears flew in front of them before continuing to run. Their path only got twistier from there. "Who builds docks like this!?" Demanded Nemo as a spear flew at his face. His quick reaction speed to bring his arm up and block was the only thing that stopped the dock from being painted with his brains. But he did find himself with a hole in his arm that was bleeding profusely.

"Nemo!" Shouted Frisk worriedly.

"Don't stop! Keep running!" Shouted Nemo as he bit the inside of his cheek to stop himself from screeching in pain. They continued to move and suddenly saw the dock connect to normal ground covered in tall weeds. "Go, go, go!" Shouted Nemo frantically as more spears flew by, nicking them and causing more of their blood to seep through a growing number of cuts on their bodies. The pair leapt forward and dove into the weeds, and once they were out of sight, the sound of spears ended. They didn't get time to rest as they heard the clanking of Undyne's armored footsteps. Nemo moved quickly to push Frisk against the nearby wall as he pressed himself against the wall as well. His breath caught in his throat as he saw Undyne, just over a foot in front of them, raise a hand and reach for something, only to pull up the monster kid. Undyne paused for a moment before setting him down and walking away. Nemo wheezed as he relaxed and sank to the ground, releasing his hold on Frisk at the same time.

"Are you ok?" Frisk worriedly asked.

Nemo raised his uninjured arm to wave off their concern. "I'll be fine, just gimme a sec to rest." He said, out of breath. Frisk nodded and sat down next to them, they then leaned their head against his uninjured arm. Nemo let out a few pained breaths before he gently moved his arm to tell Frisk to move, which they quietly complied with before he used his good arm to push himself to his feet. Nemo did his best to keep his injured arm still as he pushed his way through the weeds and into a clear area. He then stopped to take a closer look at his arm, which, to his disgust, he could see straight through. He and Frisk then heard a rustling behind them, which made them turn around to see the Monster Kid burst from the shrubbery as he moved around excitedly.

"Yo… did you see that!? Undyne just… TOUCHED ME!" He said excitedly. "I'm never washing my face ever again…!"

"_Gross." _Thought Nemo.  
"Man, are you unlucky." Said Monster Kid.

"_You don't say."_ Thought Nemo.

"If you were standing just a LITTLE bit to the right…!" Said Monster Kid.

"_Wouldn't call that part unlucky."_ Thought Nemo.

"Yo, don't worry! I'm sure we'll see her again." Said Monster Kid.

"I could go the rest of my life without seeing her ever again." Mumbled Nemo. The Monster Kid then took off running, only to trip and face plant again, before getting up and running off again.

"DO you think he's hard headed or just used to doing that?" Asked Nemo drily.

"...Both?" Said Frisk uncertainly.

"Let's just go." Groaned Nemo, with that, the pair set off. The next spot they entered had a piece of cheese trapped in a magical crystal, an Echo Flower, and another star. "Oh thank goodness." Said Nemo. Frisk walked over to the star and put a hand on it. That warm feeling returned as their injuries vanished. Nemo got to watch his flesh magically (and painlessly, fortunately enough) pull itself back together. "_I wonder how much this thing can heal someone?"_ He wondered. "_Well, here's to _never _finding out."_ He then walked over to Frisk, hearing a squeak from the Echo Flower as he walked, before the pair continued forward. Nemo had to admit, he was a little relieved to see Sans.

"Hi Sans." Said the taller human.

"_I'm thinking about getting into the telescope business._" Said Sans. "_It's normally 50000G to use this premium telescope… but… since I know you, you can use it for free. Howzabout it?_"

Nemo looked at the telescope, then down at Frisk with a raised eyebrow. Frisk smiles at him and nodded their head. Nemo sighed and shrugged. "Alright, go ahead." He said. Frisk leaned forward and looked through the telescope. They looked for a moment before backing away and looking at Sans.

"I don't see anything." They said.

"_Huh? You aren't satisfied? Don't worry. I'll give you a full refund._" Said Sans, Nemo gave him a flat look. Then he had to put a hand over his mouth to stop himself from laughing when Frisk turned and he saw their pink eye.

"What is it?" Asked Frisk in confusion.

"Nothing Frisk, not a thing." Said Nemo as he tried to keep a straight face. "Thanks for sharing your scope Sans, see ya." With that the pair set off. As they passed another box, Nemo paused long enough to drop the ribbon and bandana into the box before taking a left into another doorway. "Hey look, it's the Nice Cream guy." Said Nemo as they walked towards the blue monster.

"I relocated my store, but there are still no customers…" Mumbled the Nice Cream guy, then he noticed that and perked up immediately. "Fortunately, I've thought of a solution! Punch cards! Every time you buy a Nice Cream, you can take a punch card from the box. If you have 3 cards, you can trade them for a free Nice Cream! They're sure to get the customers to come back! Nice Cream! It's the frozen treat that warms your heart! Now just 25G!"

"Two please." Said Nemo.

"Super! Here you go! Your Cards are in the box!" Said the Nice Cream guy as he gave them the Nice Cream. The pair sat down next to the box and dug into their Nice Cream. Nemo chomped down on his Nice Cream and looked at the stick once he was done, only to be unsurprised by the fact that it was illegible to him. Nemo looked over Frisk's shoulder to see their Nice Cream. "What's your's say?" He asked.

"Have a wonderful day!" Said Frisk.

Nemo held up his. "Can you read mine?" He asked.

"Love yourself! I love you!" Said Frisk, only to turn red upon realizing what they said, earning a laugh from Nemo.

"Thanks for the kind words kiddo. Now c'mon, let's get going." Said Nemo as he stood up.

"Ok." Said Frisk as they stood up. Together the humans walked out the doorway. They went left and passed another monster.

"What's a star?" It asked, causing the humans to pause. "Can you touch it? Can you eat it? Can you kill it? ...Are you a star?" Frisk and Nemo stared at the monster for a moment before turning and continuing on their way.

"_Well _that _wasn't creepy at all…" _Thought Nemo.

**Page 15 End**


	16. Chapter 3, Page 4

Nemo and Frisk walked alongside the glowing lake. "What do you think makes it glow like that? Magic?" Asked Nemo.

"I'm not sure." Said Frisk.

Nemo stopped as he looked at the water while letting out a hum as he thought. "Perhaps a bioluminescent moss?" He suggested.

"Bio… what?" Asked Frisk in confusion.

"Bioluminescent moss. Basically it's moss that glows, maybe there's stuff like that coating the bank of the lake, causing the glow." Explained Nemo.

"I suppose…" Said Frisk.

Suddenly a voice spoke up behind them. "So? Don't you have any wishes to make?" The arrival of the new voice caused Nemo to whirl around to see who it belonged to, only for him to sigh as he realized that it was another Echo Flower.

"I'm never gonna get used to that." Sighed Nemo. "Let's keep moving."

"Alright." Said Frisk. The pair didn't get far though before reaching another crossroad.

"Which way?" Asked Nemo.

Before Frisk could speak up, another Echo Flower interjected. "...hmmm, just one, but… it's kind of stupid."

The humans looked at the flower before back at each other. "Let's go right." Said Frisk.

"Glad I left it to you to make the right decision." Said Nemo with a smirk, earning a sigh from Frisk. The two continued down Frisk's chosen path, though they didn't get far before their souls manifested as they walked into a pair of Moldsmals. The human's stared at the monsters for a second before simply taking a step over the slime monsters and continuing onward. They walked for about twenty seconds before coming to a tall bunch of weeds. "Doesn't look like anything's here." Said Nemo as he looked around before turning to make an exit. He then heard a rustling behind him. He turned to see Frisk with their upper half inside of the weeds as they rustled around for something. "What are you…?" He asked, but trailed off as they emerged holding a pair of ballet shoes. "What are those?" The face that Frisk gave him for that one actually made him feel a little guilty. "You gonna wear those?"

"No, just figured that I shouldn't leave them, they probably belonged to someone else that fell down here." Said Frisk as they looked at the shoes and the tutu they were wearing.

"That's fair I suppose." Said Nemo as he scratched the back of his head. "C'mon, looks like this is a dead end, let's try the other path."

"Alright." Replied Frisk. One short backtrack later and the pair were heading down the second path. They had just gone around the first corner when suddenly their phone began to ring.

Nemo pulled it out and answered with a short, "Hello?"

"HELLO! THIS IS PAPYRUS!" Shouted the tall skeleton over the phone. "REMEMBER WHEN I ASKED ABOUT YOUR CLOTHES? WELL, THE FRIEND WHO WANTED TO KNOW… HER OPINION OF YOU IS VERY… MURDERY."

"I don't believe that's a real word." Thought Nemo.

"BUT I BET YOU KNEW THAT ALREADY! AND BECAUSE YOU KNEW THAT… I TOLD HER WHAT YOU TOLD ME YOU WERE WEARING! A DUSTY TUTU! BECAUSE I KNEW, OF COURSE… AFTER SUCH A SUSPICIOUS QUESTION… YOU WOULD OBVIOUSLY CHANGE YOUR CLOTHES!" Said Papyrus.

"Oh yeah, I guess that would make sense." Said Nemo.

"YOU'RE SUCH A SMART COOKIE! THIS WAY YOU'RE SAFE AND I DIDN'T LIE! NO BETRAYAL ANYWHERE!" Said Papyrus.

"No comment." Thought Nemo drily.

"BEING FRIENDS WITH EVERYONE IS EASY!" Were Papyrus's final words before he hung up.

Nemo sighed as he pocketed the phone. "Moving on." He said. They continued for a short way before their souls manifested and another "seahorse" attacked. Nemo groaned as he made the first move, attacking the monster with a punch.

It flinched from the attack before winking and saying, "Come on in, the water's fine." It then started to swing its arms at Nemo, who managed to evade every strike. When the final strike missed, Nemo planted his left foot on the ground before bringing his right up to kick the monster in the jaw. "Whew, I'm sweating." Said the monster as it winked again.

"Gross." Muttered Nemo as large droplets slowly flew at him. Fortunately they were, as stated before, slow, so he was able to dodge them with ease. Once the storm passed, he noticed the Seahorse's muscles comically droop. Nemo couldn't help but sigh. "Alright, you can leave now." He said. The monster nodded before departing, causing their souls to vanish. "Easy enough." Said Nemo as he watched it go. "Let's get moving."  
"Ok." Said Frisk. As they walked, they passed a third Echo Flower in the area.

"Don't say that! Come on, I promise I won't laugh." It said.

Frisk and Nemo continued walking and were finally clear of the water area and were back to narrow pathways. At the start of the narrow pathway, there was a small opening with a sign on one of the walls. "Frisk?" Asked Nemo.

"On it." Said Frisk as they approached the sign. "The power to take their souls." They read. "This is the power that humans feared." They were silent for a moment before turning to Nemo, who looked down at the smaller human for a moment before the duo continued on their way.

They found themselves surrounded by more water, though this variety didn't glow. They took a right and walked for a short time until Nemo noticed the sound of splashing behind them. He turned around and his eyes widened to see a giant tentacle coming out of the water.

"Holy…" He said quietly. Frisk turned to look as well and they also wound up staring in shock. "Ok, time to go before the giant monster tries to kill us!" Said Nemo as he grabbed Frisk and booked it. They noticed a second tentacle come out of the water on their right side as well, and it was keeping up with them. Suddenly something emerged from the water, causing them both to stop.

What they saw was an octopus monster with an onion shaped head and a friendly face staring at them.2 Though Nemo wasn't ready to drop his guard yet because looks can be deceiving. "Hey… there… noticed you were… here…" It said. It's face then became derpy looking as it continued. "I'm Onionsan! Onionsan, y'hear!"

Nemo's lips pressed together so that his mouth became a thin line before looking at Frisk. "Ok, let's go." He told them, to which they nodded their head. As they walked, Onionsan followed.

"You're visiting Waterfall, huh! It's great here, huh! You love it, huh!" Said Onionsan, then it's face became friendly again. "Yeah! Me too! It's my Big Favorite." It then sank under water so that only the top of it's head could be seen. "Even though, the water's getting so shallow here… I have to sit down all the time, but…" It then arose once more with it's derp face. "He-hey! That's ok! It beats moving to the city.! And living in a crowded aquarium! Like all my friends did!" Onionsan sadly sank once more. "And the aquarium's full, a-anyway, so, even if I wanted to, I…" It arose again with another derp face. "That's okay though, y'know! Undyne's gonna fix everything, y'hear!" These words caused a feeling of dread to encircle Nemo. "I'm gonna get out of here and live in the ocean! Y'hear!" It was forced to stop when they reached the end of the room. "Hey… there… that's the end of this room. I'll see you around! Have a good time! In Waterfallllllllllllllllllllllllllllll!" As it said that, Onionsan sank into the waters as the humans departed.

"Sheesh, I was worried we were gonna be attacked." Said Nemo, they didn't get far into the next area before their souls manifested in front of them. "Oh come on." He groaned. They looked to see Shyren hiding in the corner but somehow encountering them anyway. "H-hey there?" Said Nemo uncertainly with a weak wave.

"...Toot…." Said Shyren softly. Suddenly a music note manifested and flew at them. Nemo side stepped it, and that was all their was to the attack. He couldn't help but feel bad for this monster. Nemo simply gave a weak smile at her rather than attack. Shyren says nothing as she simply shrinks further into the wall. "...Toot…." Is all she says before another note flies at them.

"Let's just go." Whispered Nemo, to which Frisk nodded and the pair set off. They didn't get far before their souls vanished. They continued down the path and to the right and stopped in front of more signs.

"This power has no counter, Indeed, a human cannot take a monster's soul." Read Frisk. "When a monster dies, its soul disappears. And an incredible power would be needed to take the soul of a living monster." Frisk then walked to the next sign. "There is only one exception. The soul of a special species of monster called a "Boss Monster." A Boss Monster's soul is strong enough to persist after death… If only for a few moments." Their words made Nemo think back to their first fight with Toriel and watching her soul shatter. "A human could absorb this soul. But this has never happened. And now it never will.

Frisk looked over at Nemo, who sighed and put a hand on their head. "Let's go." He said.

"Ok." Said Frisk. As they walked, they passed a statue that had rain falling on it through a hole in the top of the cave. The pair couldn't help but notice how… sad… the statue looked, even if they couldn't see its face. They continued to walk, passing a wooden sign. "Please take one." Read Frisk. Nemo raised an eyebrow at that before looking over and seeing some umbrellas in a trash can. Nemo walked over and grabbed one, inspecting it to make sure there were no holes. Frisk grabbed one as well, and after looking at it for a moment, booked it back to the previous room. Surprise was replaced with concern as Nemo chased after them. Frisk stopped in front of the statue before using the umbrella to shield it from the downpour.

"Why would you-?" Asked Nemo, but was cut off when music started to play from the statue. The pair stared at the statue in silence for a moment before Frisk looked over at Nemo, who looked back in silence for a moment before giving them a soft smile. "You're something else, you know that Frisk?" He asked softly. This made Frisk smile back. "Let's get going."

"Ok." Said Frisk.

The pair walked back to the umbrella area and passed it before entering an area with a heavy downpour. "Guess this is what the umbrellas were for." Said Nemo as he opened the umbrella he'd grabbed and used it to cover their heads. Together they walked until they passed a spot where a soaking Monster Kid sat.

"Yo, you got an umbrella?" He asked. "Awesome!" He then ran over and tried to get under, but there was no room for him. Seeing the small monster look at the ground with a dejected look made Nemo sigh.

"Frisk?" Said Nemo.

"Yeah?" Asked Frisk.

Nemo crouched down. "Climb on." He said.

"Alright." Said Frisk as they climbed on to his back. Nemo held the umbrella over the trio while using his free hand to secure Frisk, and looked down at the young monster.

This made Monster Kid look at him in shock before a smile reached his face. "Let's go!" He said excitedly. Together the trio made their way down the soggy coorider. As they reached the first turn, Monster Kid decided to speak up. "Man, Undyne is sooooooo cool. She beats up bad guys and never loses. If I was a human I would wet the bed every night… knowing she was gonna beat me up! Ha ha." His words caused a comically large drop of sweat to appear on the side of Nemo's head. As they walked, Monster Kid continued to talk. "So, one time. We had a school project where we had to take care of a flower. The king - we had to call him "Mr. Dreemurr" - volunteered to donate his flowers. He ended up coming to school and teaching us about responsibility and stuff. That got me thinking… YO! How cool would it be if Undyne came to school!? She could beat up all the teachers!" Cue another sweatdrop. As they rounded the next corner, Monster Kid spoke up more uncertainly this time "Ummm, maybe she wouldn't beat up the teachers… she's too cool to ever hurt and innocent person!"

"Guess we don't qualify as 'innocent'." Thought Nemo drily as he recalled their last encounter with passed through an entranceway to a much more open area without any rain. In the far distance Nemo could see the castle, but no path to get there, so he simply stayed on the one they were on. They went through another pathway and found themselves at a cliff with another trash can meant for returning umbrellas. Nemo returned his as Frisk jumped down from his back. The trio then turned their attention to the small cliff. Nemo knew he could climb it, but Frisk and the didn't stand a chance.

As Nemo tried to think of a solution, the Monster Kid spoke up. "Yo, this ledge is way too steep… yo, you wanna see Undyne, right…? Climb on my shoulders." Nemo and Frisk looked at him, then each other.

"Go ahead." Said Nemo with a nod. Frisk nodded their head and climbed onto the Kid's shoulders before climbing onto the ledge. Nemo and Monster Kid then exchanged a glance. "I'm pretty sure I'm too heavy for you kiddo, but don't worry, I've got this." He said as he backed up from the ledge. He then ran at it and put one foot on the wall to propel himself upwards enough to grasp the top of the ledge and pull himself up with a grunt. Nemo then looked down at the Monster Kid. "Thanks for the help runt, I really appreciate it."

"Yo, you go on ahead. Don't worry about me. I always find a way to get through!" He said, then turned, started running, face planted, stood up, and then ran off.

Nemo couldn't help but chuckle. "Energetic one, isn't he?" He asked Frisk.

"Yeah." They replied. Together they continued onward, finding another glowing star, which Frisk laid their hand on, causing the now all too familiar feeling of warmth to pass through the pair. Their attention turned and they saw another series of signs.

"Frisk?" Asked Nemo.

"I'm on it." Said Frisk as they approached the first sign. "The humans, afraid of our power, declared war on us. They attacked suddenly, and without mercy." They then walked to the second sign. "I'm the end, it could hardly be called a war. United, the humans were too powerful, and us monsters, too weak. Not a single soul was taken and countless monsters were turned to dust…"

Nemo looked at the sign, then at Frisk. "I think there's more to this than we originally knew." He said.

_**Page 16 End**_


	17. Chapter 3, Page 5

The humans stepped onto the wooden dock and began to walk across it. There was nothing but the eerie silence around them, and Nemo found it just a touch unsettling. Suddenly a glowing, cyan circle appeared on the floor in front of them. Nemo stuck out his arm to halt Frisk as the pair watched the circle. Suddenly a second circle appeared behind them, then a third to their right. Then a bunch showed up around them. "This looks bad." Said Nemo. Suddenly magic spears jutted from the circles. They had to hold perfectly still to avoid being skewered. "Geez!" Shouted Nemo. Then the spears vanished. Nemo's head whipped around as he tried to find the source of the spears.

"Nemo!" Shouted Frisk, Nemo turned to see them at the edge of the dock. He quickly avoided some more spears before going to them. He looked over to see Undyne on a second dock that was beneath them.

"Crud." Said Nemo. He looked around to see more circles appear beneath them. "Crud crud crud crud crud crud!" He grabbed Frisk's hand and ran. They continued to sidestep spears upon more spears as the weaved through the absurdly shaped path the dock made. After running for a few seconds, Nemo had to stop as a row of circles blocked the path. He quickly backpedaled only for a spear to jut from the ground behind him, tearing the back of his shirt and cutting a long line in his back, which quickly became soaked with blood. He hissed in pain.

"Nemo!" Exclaimed Frisk.

"Don't worry about me! Just keep running!" Said Nemo. Frisk said nothing but instead continued to run as the spears vanished. They ran more but found themselves at one of the dock's many dead ends. "Crud, now what!?" Said Nemo as they avoided more spears.

Frisk didn't say anything for a few moments before looking in a direction. "Follow me Nemo!" They said as they took off running.

'He- Frisk!" Exclaimed Nemo as he followed them. They continued to run, Nemo groaned as a spear sliced through his side, but he didn't stop, and instead put a hand over the blood soaked fabric of his shirt and continued to run. They continued to make their way through the dock that was basically a labyrinth. Nemo groaned as a spear pierced his shoulder, and didn't get far before his right leg was run through before they reached the super wide area of the dock. The pair crossed to the opposite end and continued down the once again thinned dock. They continued to run until they were at the end of the dock. Nemo was on the verge of panicking when he realized that the spears had stopped. He was panting as he held his shoulder, and Frisk wasn't looking much better. "What now?" He asked.

Frisk looked around. "This looks like a dead end, I think we need to head back." They said.

"Great." Groaned Nemo as his hand moved to the side of his stomach, which was also bleeding. "Well, nothing we can do I guess. Let's go."

"RIght." Said Frisk as they made their way back the way they came. They didn't get very far when they heard the clunking of Undyne's metal footprints. She walked until there was only a gap of about seven feet between them.

Nemo put his hands up into a fighting stance. "Bring it on lady, I can do this all day." He said. Undyne said nothing as three spears came flying from above and tore through the dock separating them. "What the? Why would you- woah." Said Nemo, confused by her actions until he was cut off by the ground beneath them shifting. He looked and saw cracks appearing in the floor around the holes that Undyne had created, and Nemo could guess what was coming next. He turned on his heel as he reached out for his human compatriot. "Frisk!" He shouted as the dock they stood on broke off, causing the pair to fall into the chasm below.

"Nemo!" Cried Frisk as the pair fell. Nemo pushed off the falling part of the dock to grab onto Frisk and put himself between them and the ground before everything around them was drowned in black.

* * *

Nemo stared upwards as he tried to get his bearings on the current situation. He looked to see Frisk laying on his stomach, unconscious. His head then turned to the side and he saw that he was lying in a bed of sunflowers. "Heh. Deja vu, huh kiddo?" He asked weakly.

"Mmm…" Groaned Frisk as they regained consciousness. They looked to see that they were on Nemo. "Oh, morning Nemo." They said quietly.

"Is it?" I can't tell down here." Said Nemo drily. They apologized before getting off of him, Nemo followed suit by standing up. "Where are we?" He asked.

"Some sort of garbage dump?" Suggested Frisk as they looked at all the nearby trash.

"I guess." Said Nemo. He then groaned as he felt the aches of his wounds. His gaze wandered to see that a large number of the flowers were dyed red from his blood. "Ow… I think we need a star." He said.

"Right." Said Frisk. The pair continued onward, albeit at a much slower pace due to their injured conditions, combined with the fact that they were making their way through some very nasty water.

"Urgh…" Groaned Nemo with a disgusted expression. Fortunately they didn't have to travel far before finding a glowing star. Frisk placed their hand on it, and Nemo couldn't help but sigh as his wounds closed. Though much to his unhappiness, he noticed the numerous holes in his clothes. "Aw man." He said in annoyance. He then hung his head and sighed. "Whatever, lets keep going."

"K…" Said Frisk. The pair continued to trudge through the garbage filled water. After taking a bendy turn to the left they passed by another garbage pile, Nemo noticed an old bike. He stopped to examine it, placing a hand on the rusted bike, causing its horn to wheeze a honk of despair. Nemo made a face, before continuing ahead they passed some more trash and noticed a brandless cooler. Nemo opens it up and takes a peek inside, noticing a space food bar. He stood there for a moment, contemplating whether or not these are safe to eat. Ultimately Nemo simply shook his head before closing the cooler.

"Moving on…" He said as his attention turned to the path ahead and speed walked to catch up with Frisk, passing by another one of those dummies like the one in the ruins. Just as he reached them, they stopped and turned to look at something behind him. Nemo looked at Frisk questioningly before looking over his shoulder.

Suddenly the dummy turned orange and glared at the pair. It then vanished under the water before reappearing between them and the exit. "Hahaha… It's just like you to run away." It said.

"That thing can talk?" Asked Nemo in surprise.

""I am a ghost that lives inside a dummy. My cousin used to live inside a dummy, too. Until… YOU CAME ALONG!" It shouted at them. "When you talked to them, they thought they were in for a nice chat… but the things you _said_…! Horrible. Shocking! UNBELIEVABLE! It spooked them right out of their dummy! HUMANS! I'll scare your souls out of your bodies!" The dummy then turned red as it's midsection split in half and the two halves began to violently shake as it floated.

Then the humans' souls manifested as the fight began. "Fine, be like that." Said Nemo as he punched the dummy, causing it to break apart on impact. Nemo looked down in shock, not thinking it'd be that easy. "Uh…" He looked at Frisk for advice, who simply shrugged.

"Foolish. Foolish! FOOLISH!" Shouted Mad dummy, making Nemo jump a little as he looked down at it.

"Even if you attack my vessel, you'll _never_ hurt me! I'm still incorporeal, you DUMMY!" Shouted Mad Dummy.

Nemo looked down at the dummy before making a face. "_Crud."_ He thought. The dummy then reassembled itself before looking to the side and mumbling something. Suddenly Dummies started appearing in front of them and started firing magic fuzzball attacks at them. "Dodge them Frisk!" Nemo shouted as he and Frisk scrambled out of the way. Once the attacks from the front ended, Nemo heard splashing as dummies appeared behind them in a much larger quantity and fired. They managed to dodge most of the attacks, though one did graze his arm, before an attack got past and struck the Mad Dummy.

"OWWWW, you DUMMIES! Watch where you;re firing your magic attacks!" Shouted the dummy. A shocked look appeared on its face. "Hey! You! Forget I said anything about magic!" Said the dummy with a nervous expression. Nemo smirked as he connected the dots.

"Frisk! Magic hurts him, lead the attacks to him!" Shouted Nemo.

"OK!" Said Frisk.

"Futile. Futile! FUTILE!" Shouted the dummy. Some dummies appeared in front of them and fired, which the humans dodged, then dummies fired from the front left corner and fired, which were also dodged. Then dummies came from the back right corner, and this time the humans were able to lead their attacks to the Mad Dummy. Dummies appeared from the back, and fired off three shots, the second of which managed to hit the dummy because of the humans. Nemo then turned and kicked the dummy, just because he could.

As soon as it reassembled itself after breaking apart, it said, "I'll defeat you and take your soul!" Dummies appeared behind them and fired. Some of the attacks were dodged, some hit their mark on the humans, and others wound up hitting the Mad Dummy. "I'll use your soul to cross the barrier!" Dummies came from the top, right, and left, and fired their attacks. The humans managed to dodge the attacks, before the dummies in the back appeared and fired. The humans lead these attacks to the Mad Dummy, and after being hit, it decided to start flying around. It glared into a mirror before turning to them with the same expression. "I'll stand in the window of a fancy store!" It shouted.

Dummies came from the back of the left and right, and attacked, and were mostly avoided, then some more from the front of the left and right appeared, some of their attacks struck the humans, mainly Nemo. Then they appeared from behind and fired. Some of their attacks managed to strike the dummy courtesy of the humans, though others missed because of the dummies flying. Nemo punched the dummy and it disassembled. After reassembling, it shouted, "THEN EVERYTHING I WANT WILL BE MINE!" Dummies appeared in the back and attacked, but were avoided, some of their attacks striking their leader. "Huh? Yeah I guess that'll avenge my cousin." It said.

"_It's not even really upset about his cousin is he?" _Questioned Nemo with a flat expression. Dummies appeared above them and glowed red before falling at them. They quickly jumped out of the way before dummies appeared in the back and fired. Nemo was quick to act and lead the attack to Mad Dummy.

"What was their name again…? It wondered. Dummies appeared at their lefts and rights and charged, but the humans dodged with ease before more appeared in the back, and fired their attack. Fortunately Nemo managed to lead their cotton to the dummy who'd forgotten to dodge, and while he was at it, Nemo kicked the dummy again, causing it to break apart. After pulling itself together, it shouted, "Whatever. WHatever! WHATEVER!" More dummies rained from the top before some dummies in the back fired their attacks at their boss by accident. "Foolish. Foolish! FOOLISH!" Shouted the dummy. Dummies came flying from the left and right, before more fired from the back. The humans dodged and the cotton struck the Mad Dummy instead.

This time the Mad Dummy couldn't help but get angrier as it shouted for its allies. "HEY GUYS!" Suddenly dummies appeared at every corner. "Dummies. Dummies! DUMMIES!" It shouted. "Remember how I said _not _to shoot at me? Well… FAILURES! YOU'RE FIRED! YOU"RE ALL BEING REPLACED!" The dummies then slowly floated away. It then started to laugh. "Now you'll see my true power: Relying on people that aren't garbage!"  
"_Idiot." _Thought Nemo as he face palmed. Suddenly the sound of whirring gears filled the room.

"DUMMY BOTS!" Commanded the dummy. "MAGIC MISSILE!"

"Magic what?" Asked Nemo. Suddenly mechanical dummies appeared and fired missiles at the pair. "Woah!" They then moved out of the way, only for the attacks to change trajectory to follow them. "What!?" Exclaimed Nemo, all he could do was groan as he was struck in the side and sent flying. He slowly stood up and wiped the water off his face with the back of his wrist.

"DUMMY BOTS! TRY AGAIN!" Ordered the Mad Dummy. Dummies appeared at every side except the front and fired more tracking missiles. The humans ran and Nemo noticed that after a second or two, the missiles would stop tracking and continue going the direction they were facing. As the Mad Dummy did an armless ska dance, which Nemo couldn't help but watch in confusion, he was able to come up with his next plan of counter attack. "DUMMY BOTS! YOU'RE AWFUL?" Said the Mad Dummy uncertainly. Dummies started appearing in a circle around them, firing their missiles one by one before leaving. Nemo and Frisk ran in a circle of their own and caused the missiles to strike the dummy instead when it ran out of time. "DUMMY BOTS! FINAL ATTACK!" Shouted the Dummy as it continued it's weird dance. An attack that was a combination of normal dummies flying at them from the sides while single missiles were fired was the first stage, before mechanical dummies appeared on every side except the front and fired all at once. The humans booked it out of the way and managed to make them fly straight into Mad Dummy. The dummy mumbled something under its breath before shouting, "Who cares? Who cares!? WHO CARES!? I DON'T NEED FRIENDS! I'VE GOT KNIVES!" Suddenly it, somehow, pulled out a knife, from some_where_, and magically threw it at them, but it was slow and easily dodged. All Nemo had to do was side step. The Mad Dummy froze in place. "I'm… out of knives."

"_Idiot." _Thought Nemo.

"BUT IT DOESN'T MATTER! YOU CAN'T HURT ME AND I CAN'T HURT YOU!" Shouted the dummy as it violently flailed about. "YOU'LL BE STUCK FIGHTING ME… forever. Forever! FOREVER!" It then maniacally laughed for a bit before some familiar tears fell down on it, which actually hurt it. "Wh… What the heck is this!? Ergh! Acid rain!? Oh, FORGET IT! I'm outta here!" The Mad Dummy made its leave and Napstablook came floating in.

"...Sorry, I interrupted you, didn't I?" They asked. "As soon as I came over, your friend immediately left…" Nemo was too tired to say anything. "Oh no… you guys looked like you were having fun… oh no… I just wanted to say hi… oh no…." Suddenly the humans' souls vanished. "Well… I'm going to head home now… oh… umm… feel free to 'come with' if you want… but no pressure… I understand if you're busy it's fine… no worries… just thought I'd offer…" With that, the ghost flew away. Nemo sighed as the pair continued onwards, exhausted from the day they'd been having. After passing through the doorway, they saw Napstablook floating near another save point. "Hey… my house is up here… in case you want to see… or in case… you don't…" The ghost then flew up the middle pathway. Frisk made their way to the glowing save file and placed their hand on it. The feeling of warmth was relaxing considering that they were covered in cold water.

_**Page 17 End**_


	18. Chapter 3, Page 6

They looked around. Frisk and Nemo saw five paths that led out of this area, and they weren't sure which to take. "Ok, that ghost said that his house was that way." Said Nemo as he pointed down the middle path, then moved his finger towards the leftmost path. "And judging by the black grass and glowing water, that probably means the path on the right will probably take us back to where we started. That leaves three options, any ideas Frisk?" Nemo looked down to see that Frisk wasn't standing next to him, but instead had moved to the sign between the two paths on the right. Nemo sighed as he walked over to them. "What's it say?'

"'North: Blook Acres. East: Hotland'. Then there are three question marks followed by 'Temmie Village'." Said Frisk.

"Acres? Hotland? Temmie?" Asked Nemo in confusion.

"Why don't we go visit N- the ghost?" Suggested Frisk.

Nemo sighed and rolled his eyes with a smile. "Alright, let's go check it out kiddo." He said. The pair then walked away from the sign and took a right to go down the middle path. They found themselves in front of a pair of houses, one was a grayish blue, the other was pink. "Uh…" Nemo looked between the houses. Frisk then stepped forward and opened the door to the gray house and entered. "Wai- Frisk!" Said Nemo as he chased after them. Once inside he was able to see the concerning state of the house. It wasn't messy, in fact it seemed pretty tidy. But there were small holes in the floor, cracks in the wall, spider webs in corners, and the whole place looked like it was gonna collapse on itself. "_Yikes." _Thought Nemo.

As they entered, Napstablook, who was now wearing headphones, despite lacking a noticeable pair of ears noticed them. "Oh… you really came… sorry, I… wasn't expecting that. It's not much, but make yourself at home." Nemo looked around not quite sure what to do now, when Frisk walked over to the TV. "Oh… that's my TV… there's a show I like to watch on it… sometimes…"

Nemo walked over and found a trio of CD cases on the floor. He reached down and grabbed one labelled 'Spooktunes'. He noticed there was a player on the ground next to it. "Heym do you mind if I…?" Asked Nemo as he held up the case.

"I don't mind… go ahead." Said Napstablook. Nemo nodded his head and took the CD Out of the case and placed it into the player before pressing the play button. The sound of music filled the room. As he messed with the CDs, Frisk walked over to the fridge.

"Oi," Said Nemo as he noticed what Frisk was doing, "don't go through people's food. It's rude."

"Oh… are you hungry…?" Asked Napstablook. "I can get you something to eat…" They then floated over to them and opened the fridge. After a second they pulled out a weird, transparent sandwich. "This is a ghost sandwich…" Explained Napstablook. "Do you want to try it…?"

"Yes." Said Frisk after a second as they held out their hands. Napstablook placed the sandwich in their hands and Frisk made an attempt to bite into it, only for their teeth to phase right through it, leaving the sandwich completely unaffected.

"Oh… nevermind…" Said Napstablook as they took the sandwich and put it back in the fridge. "After a great meal I like to lie down on the ground and feel like garbage… it's a family tradition… do you want… to join me…?"

"Yes." Said Frisk.

"Sure." Said Nemo with a shrug.

"Okay… follow my lead…" Said Napstablook as the trio walked into the center of the room and lied down on the ground. "Here we go… you'll lie down as long as you don't move. So… only move around when you want to get up, I guess." The trio simply sat there in almost complete silence, save for the music in the background. Nemo found it difficult, and annoying, not moving. He closed his eyes to see if it would make any difference, but to know avail. He then sighed as he sat up. Frisk and Napstablook followed suit. "Well, that was nice… thank you…"

"Meh, it was no big deal." Said Nemo as he scratched the back of his head. "See you around."

"Bye Napstablook." Said Frisk.

"Bye… I guess…" Said Napstablook as the humans exited his house. The pair walked until they were back in the room with five paths.

"Where now?" Asked Nemo.

Frisk looked around. "...Let's go right." They said.

"Yeah, I suppose that would be the _right_ path." Said Nemo with a grin. This earned a sigh from Frisk. Though not long after starting down the right path, they discovered another crossroad. To the left was a weird doorway, and there were two seemingly normal paths going forward and to the right. Next to the doorway was another box. "Uhm…" Frisk then took a left through the doorway. "_Frisk!_" Exclaimed Nemo in distress as they wandered off again, before following them through the door.

"Woah there!" Said an old turtle monster who had been sitting in there. "I've got some neat junk for sale!" Nemo looked down to see that he did have a collection of four items in front of him: some tea, an old pair of glasses, a torn notebook, and… an apple shaped like a crab.

"_Because sure, why the heck not?"_ Thought Nemo with an eye roll. Frisk reached over and grabbed the glasses before putting them on.

"That'll be thirty G." Said the turtle.

"I- fiiine." Sighed Nemo as he handed over the money.

"Thanks! Wa ha ha!" Laughed the monster. Frisk then reached for the notebook, their hand hovering it over for a moment before deciding against grabbing it.

"Do you want the notebook?" Asked Nemo.

"No… I'm fine." Said Frisk.

"Alrighty then… might as well grab that food too, I'm hungry." Said Nemo as he grabbed the other two items.

"Totals out to forty three G, kid." Said the monster.

"Yeah, yeah." Said Nemo as he handed over the G, which the monster gladly took.

"Thanks! Wa ha ha!" Laughed the monster.

"C'mon Frisk, let's head out." Said Nemo as he held the food in his hands. Together they exited the shop. Once outside, Frisk stopped at the box next to the entrance and removed her old tutu before throwing it and the shoes into the box. Nemo watched them, unsure as to why they were doing it, but deciding not to give them grief over it. "Sooo, apple or tea, what shall it be?" Asked Nemo as he held the snack items, having been careful the whole time not to spill the drink out to the smaller human. Frisk reached out and took the crab shaped apple. As Frisk snacked on the apple, Nemo gulped down the tea.

"Aren't you worried about how old that stuff probably is?" Asked Frisk. Nemo looked down at the cup, he shrugged.

"Can't be that bad if the old guy was still willing to sell it." Replied the taller human.

"I guess…" Said Frisk.

"Whatevs, let's keep moving." Said Nemo.

"Ok. " Said Frisk, and the duo went left and continued down their path. As they walked, they passed another sign on the wall. "Hurt, beaten, and fearful for our lives, we surrendered to the humans. Seven of their greatest magicians sealed us underground with a magic spell. Anything can enter through the seal, but only beings with a powerful soul can leave." Frisk read. They moved to the next piece of text. "There is only one way to reverse this spell. If a huge power, equivalent to seven human souls, attavks the barrier… it will be destroyed." Nemo followed them to the third sign. "But this cursed place has no entrances or exits. There is no way a human could come here."

"_Oooh the irony." _Thought Nemo.

"We will remain trapped here forever." Continued Frisk. That was the last piece of text.

Nemo took a deep breath before letting it out. "No exits huh? Well isn't that dandy." He said.

"There is an exit." Said Frisk, making Nemo look down at them. "I-I'm sure there is, there was an entrance, even if it was just a hole, so maybe there's a way to leave."

Nemo looked down at them for a moment without reacting. Frisk looked back up at him nervously. He then smiled and put a hand on their head. "You're probably right squirt. Thanks." He said as he ruffled their hair. Frisk sighed as they put their hair back into place before readjusting their glasses. They continued for a bit, then their dirt path reached a wall and to their right they saw a dim path of grass with one of those glowing mushrooms at the end, except that it wasn't glowing.

"Weir-." Started Nemo, but stopped when Frisk walked past him and towards the dim mushroom. Once they reached it, they placed their hand on it, and after letting out a squeak, it illuminated. Doing so caused the surrounding grass to illuminate, which created a path. Frisk continued down the new path. Shaking his head to snap out of his surprise, Nemo followed after his smaller companion. "How did you know that would work?" Asked Nemo.

Frisk was quiet for a moment before looking up at him. "I'm… not sure. I just… did." They said.

"Weird…" Said Nemo. After illuminating another mushroom and walking a short ways, Nemo's soul manifested and another fight began. Before them was a weird cat… dog… thing. Wearing a T-Shirt. And it had hair. "What the…?"

"aaaAwa!" Said the small monster. Then one of its legs extended straight at the humans.

"What the?" Said Nemo as it tried to back away, but with no where to go, he got a painful boop to the snoot. "Ow." He said as the monster tried to glomp him.

"Hello." Said Frisk, deciding to be friendly.

"hOI! I'm tEMMIE!" Said the monster excitedly. Suddenly all of the monster's legs got longer as it started walking over them. Nemo and Frisk made sure to keep moving back and forth to avoid getting kicked. Eventually the monster returned to normal and started to doing its hairs.

"Let's go while it's distracted." Said Nemo as he stepped over the Temmie, with Frisk following suit. They took a left and continued down the path, only to find themselves at a dead end. "Huh?" Asked Nemo as he followed his gaze back the way they came. He face palmed when he saw the actual path. He sighed as he moved past Frisk and made his way back to where the last mushroom turning it on, they continued to walk, but didn't get far before reaching some more Moldsmals. "Ugh." Said Nemo. "C'mon, let's just go." He said. They managed to walk past one of them, but the other kept moving in front of them and firing attacks similar to Flowey's 'friendliness pellets'. Nemo glared as he kept trying to get past them. "Nnngh, scram!" He said as he kicked the monster. This made it growl as it became taller than Nemo. Suddenly attacks started coming from all directions, and Nemo managed to evade them, save for one that hit his shoulder. He moved past the attacks and kicked the large monster, turning it to dust instantly. Nemo put a hand over her eyes and sighed. "Let's just go." He said.

"Ok." Said Frisk as they continued walking.

The next area had these weird, dimly lit crystals next to the paths. They then noticed a weird lantern and a sign next to it. "Without candles or magic to guide them home, the monsters used crystals to navigate." Read Frisk right before the lantern went dark and the humans were trapped in almost complete darkness, save for the glowing crystals. The humans did their best to navigate their way through the shadows, when Nemo's soul manifested again, and a Woshua and a seahorse monster appeared.

"Scruba dub-dubs." Said one.

"Education? Hobby? Talent?" Asked the other. Suddenly a bar of soap appeared that started sliding around, accompanied by the droplets attack. Nemo did his best to avoid while Frisk stayed back, and he did fine for the most part until he got pelted by the soap bar. Nemo acted quickly and punched the larger monster. "Education? Hobby? Talent?" It asked again.

"Oops, I meant scruba sub-subs." Said Woshua. Another droplet attack came while the soap bar spun around him. Fortunately Nemo managed to evade this one by staying in one spot while simply side stepping to avoid the droplets. Nemo managed to take advantage of the seahorse admiring its own muscles to finish it off with a strong kick, dusting the creature. "Your soul is unclean." Said the other monster as it's rubber ducky let out a tweet. It began to spin, causing large drops of water to fly everywhere, one of which hit Nemo square in the face.

"Gross, I'm gonna need a bath after this." Said Nemo as he looked at how messy he was. Suddenly the monster hopped around excitedly.

"Green means clean." It said.

"What?" Asked Nemo before getting pelted twice more by water droplets before getting struck by a green one. With that, the monster decided to depart. Nemo let out a cough as he sat down, exhausted. "Pain. I'm in pain. Pain, pain, pain." He groaned.

"Are you ok?" Asked Frisk worriedly.

"I'll live." Said Nemo as he waved them off. "Probably."

After some more wandering in the pitch dark, the humans were close to reaching the exit when suddenly their souls manifested once more. Another large Moldsmal, and the Woshua appeared. "Crud." Said Nemo. Panicking, he simply picked up Frisk and decided to book it past them. After a bit of running, their souls disappeared. Next thing they knew, they were wading through a body of water again. Or, well, Nemo was, Frisk was riding on his reached dry land soon after and after a short walk in the dark, the duo encountered an Echo Flower.

It only had two words to say. "Behind You."

****Page 18 End****


	19. Chapter 3, Page 7

Nemo felt his blood turn to ice as he heard movement behind them. He turned and the humans saw the all too familiar sight of an armored Undyne approaching them. "...Seven." She said. Seven human souls. With the power of seven human souls, our king… King Asgore Dreemurr… will become a god. With that power, Asgore can finally shatter the barrier. He will finally take the surface back from humanity… and give them back the suffering and pain we have endured… understand humans? This is your only chance at redemption. Give up one of your souls… or I'll tear it from your body."

Nemo stares at the armored monster. "Hey Frisk, what's that over there?" Asked Nemo as he pointed to the right.

"Huh?" Asked Frisk as they looked away long enough for Nemo to flip Undyne off with one hand while using the other to prevent Frisk from falling.

Undyne said nothing and instead opted to summon a spear before closing the gap. First with a walk, then a sprint, but just before she could skewer them, something came from the grass where Frisk was looking. "Undyne! I'll help you fight!" Cried the Monster Kid proudly. He then realized the situation. Sort of. "YO! You did it! Undyne is RIGHT in front of you! You've got front row seats to her fight!" He then started to look around in confusion. "...wait. Who's she fighting?"

"Well…" Said Nemo as he looked away awkwardly.

Undyne then stepped up, grabbed the side of the kids face and dragged him off. "H-hey! You aren't gonna tell my parents about this, are you?" He asked worriedly.

"...He'll be fine." Said Nemo as he and Frisk watched the pair go. He then looked over and saw another path. "Let's go." He then walked to the start of the path and went down the path.

They didn't get far before reaching a large number of Echo Flowers. As they walked, they overheard the flowers speak. "...hmmm… if I say my wish… you promise you won't laugh at me?" Said one.

"Of course I won't laugh!" Said another.

"Someday, I'd like to climb this mountain we're all buried under. Standing under the sky, looking at the world all around… that's my wish." Said a third.

Laughter came from a fourth before saying, "...hey, you said you wouldn't laugh at it!"

"Sorry, it's just funny… that's my wish, too." Said Flower five.

Nemo looked at the final flower. "Nemo." Said Frisk softly.

"Hm?" He hummed in response as he looked up at them.

"A sign." They said as they pointed out another wall carving.

"On it." He replied as he went over to the sign.

"However… there is a prophecy. The Angel… The one who has seen the surface… they will return. And the underground will go empty." Read Frisk.

"What?" Asked Nemo in confusion. "Like a human? Is that what they're talking about?"

"I'm not sure, but it also said that the Underground would go empty because of them, what does that mean?" Asked Frisk.

"Go empty… I don't think I like the implications there." Said Nemo as he turned and continued onward. Soon after they reached a bridge. "Get down, it's dangerous to carry you here." Instructed Nemo.

"Ok." Said Frisk as they got off his shoulders after he crouched down. Once they were clear, they started to cross the bridge. They were almost across when they heard a familiar voice.

"Yo!" Said Monster Kid from behind them. They turned to see him about halfway across the bridge. He slowly walked across until he was just in front of them. "You, I know I'm not supposed to be here, but… I wanna ask you something… man, I've never had to ask anyone this before… umm… you… you're humans, right? Haha." Nemo closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. His silence said it all. "Man! I knew it! …well, I know it now I mean… Undyne told me, um, 'stay away from that human.' So, like, ummm… I guess that makes us enemies or something. But I kinda stink at that, haha. You, say something mean so I can hate you? Please?"

Nemo sighed and crouched down to him. "Kid. Go home." He said simply.

"Yo, what? So I have to do it? Here goes nothing… yo, I… I hate your guts." Said Monster Kid.

"I don't want to fight, please just go home." Said Nemo as he looked at the ground.

"..Man, I… I'm such a turd. I'm… I'm gonna go home now." Said the Monster Kid. He then slowly backed away before turning and started running across the bridge before tripping and falling over, only being able to save himself by grabbing the edge of the bridge between his chin and neck. "Yo, w-w-wait! Help! I tripped!" Cried the kid. Nemo then spotted Undyne approach from the opposite side of the bridge.

"_Ok, no need to get involved, Undyne's here, she can help him, Frisk and I can just run while she's distracted."_ Thought Nemo… as he ran to the kid and pulled him up by his striped shirt. "Reckless idiot." He muttered as Undyne stared at them.

Monster Kid stared at Nemo before turning to Indyne as she came closer. "Y… y… yo… dude… if… if y-you wanna hurt my friend… you're gonna have to get through me, first." He said nervously. Undyne could only stare as she took a few steps backwards before turning and walking away. The kid then turned back to the humans. "She's gone… yo, you really saved my skin. Guess being enemies was just a nice thought, haha. We'll just have to be friends instead… man, I should REALLY go home… I bet my parents are worried sick about me!"

Nemo gave the Monster a small smile. "Take care of yourself kid." He said.

He nodded before turning to walk away. He didn't get far before turning for one last goodbye. "Later, dude!" He said. With that the Monster Kid departed.

Nemo then walked over to Frisk. "Let's go kiddo." He said.

"Right." They said. Together they walked away. As they walked, Frisk said, "I'm glad you helped him."

"Yeah, same." He said as he wrapped a hand around Frisk's shoulders and held them close. They then noticed a star near a path that went into a cave. "Awesome, let's heal up so we can head out."

They made their way to the star, but before they could reach it, a voice rang out. "Seven."

"_For f*cks sake."_ Thought Nemo as he and looked up to see Undyne standing above the mouth of the cave with her back to them.

"Seven human souls, and King Asgore will become a god. Six. That's how many we have collected thus far. Understand?" She asked as she turned to look down at them. "Through one of your souls, we will have the seventh and final soul, and this world will be transformed. First, however, as is customary for those who make it this far… I shall tell you the tragic tale of our people." Said Undyne as she turned and looked into the distance. "It all started, long ago…" she then paused before looking at them. "No, you know what?! SCREW IT!" She shouted, surprising the humans. "WHY SHOULD I TELL YOU THAT STORY? WHEN YOU'RE ABOUT TO DIE! NGAAAHHH!" She then tore off her helmet revealing her fish monster face and flowing red hair underneath.

"Woah." Said Nemo. "That escalated quickly."

"YOU! You're standing in the way of everybody's hopes and dreams! Alphys's history books made me think humans were compassionate… BUT YOU?" She shouted as she pointed at Nemo. "You're just a remorseless criminal! You wander through the caverns, attacking anyone in your path. Self-defense! Please. You didn't kill them because you had to. You killed them because it was easy for you. Because it was fun for you."

Nemo went rigid at her words. He clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles went white and his hands would've bled if it weren't for the fact that he'd chewed his fingernails off. "Hey! That's not true! He only did it because-!" Said Frisk as they tried to defend him.

But they were cut off when Undyne shouted, "Shut up! I don't want to hear it from you, it's not like you did anything to stop him." She looked back at Nemo. "Do you think it was fun when I found out…? Lesser Dog, who wanted nothing more than affection… was dead, because of the whims of a pair of humans? No. But your time's up, villain! You won't hurt anyone else. A knight in shining armor has appeared. And all the pain you inflicted on the fallen... every hope, every dream you've turned to dust… she's gonna send right back through her spear! NGAHHH! I'll show you how determined monsters truly are! Come on! Step forward and let's end this!"

Nemo grit his teeth as his hands shook. "Frisk?" He asked calmly.

"Ok." Said Frisk as they walked over and placed their hand on the star. Nemo felt that feeling of warmth return, but paid it no mind as he focused on the challenge ahead and approached the mouth of the cave.

"That's it, then…!" Shouted Undyne. "No more running away! HERE I COME!" She then summoned a spear and leapt down at him as his soul manifested. She landed on the ground in front of him with a loud thud. She then swiped her spear at him. Doing so caused his soul to turn green, and move over to his left arm. His soul became larger and transparent as it attached itself to his arm like a shield. He looked down at it with a raised eyebrow before looking at Undyne. "En guarde!" She said. "As long as you're green, you can't escape! Unless you learn to face danger head-on… you won't last a _second _against _me_!"

Suddenly a small white square of light appeared around Nemo, and he realized that he couldn't move from that spot.

"_Well… crud." _Thought Nemo. Suddenly three spears manifested and flew straight at him in a straight line. Nemo reacted quickly, raising his soul shield to block. He noticed that just before a spear would strike his shield, it would turn red. Upon reaching the shield, the spears vanished. The square around Nemo vanished as Undyne flashed him a menacing smile. He growled as he ran up and punched her.

But she barely flinched. "Not bad! Then how about THIS!?" She shouted. Nemo moved back as the square reformed. Two spears from the front, two from the left, and two from the right. Nemo moved quickly, stopping each spear in its tracks. Then Undyne drew a finger across her neck as the square vanished. Nemo used his current position to his advantage. He quickly moved his right foot to where his left was currently and then brought his left foot up for a side kick into her stomach. "For years, we've dreamed of a happy ending... " The white square returned. Left, right, left, right, two from the left, two on the right, and one from the back. Nemo was quickly able to block all of them. As the square vanished, Nemo used the momentum of turning around to increase the power of his uppercut, which landed directly in the jaw of Undyne, who was towering threateningly.

Only to groan and hold his hand as his hand throbbed in pain. "Why is your jaw harder than your armor?" He groaned.

"And now, sunlight is just within our reach!" Continued Undyne.

"_Why does nobody ever ask my questions?" _Wondered Nemo with a flat look. The square then came back. "_Crud."_ Front, right, back, left, front, right, back, left, four from the front. Nemo groaned as the second right one grazed his side, fortunately he managed to block the rest before the square faded. "That the best you've got fin head?" Said Nemo with a smirk.

"I won't let you snatch it away from us!" Said Undyne.

"_Ok, she's obviously not gonna respond until after she's done with her rant." _Thought Nemo as the square came back up. Left, two up, right, two front, left, front, back. All blocked. He then watched Undyne suplex a large boulder just because she could as the square vanished. While she was standing up, Nemo jumped up and planted a foot into her face before using it as a springboard to put some distance between them.

"NGAHHHH! Enough warming up!" Said Undyne.

"_That was the warm up!?" _Thought Nemo as the square returned. One from the right, then the front. Two came from the back and right at the same time, and Nemo misjudged their speeds and the both struck him, one catching his shoulder while the other put a small cut on the side of his face. That wasn't all as four more came from each direction, fortunately Nemo managed to block these, next thing he knew his soul was white again and he lacked a shield as a spear came flying from his left. "Crud!" Shouted Nemo as he pressed his back against the far end of the invisible wall the square created. He sighed as the spear flew past. He turned his attention back to Undyne before charging Undyne and punching Undyne again.

"Heh… you're tough." She said. She then started creating spears under Nemo's feet before having them burst from the ground to try to run him through. Nemo moved quickly to dodge them. Unfortunately he wasn't fast enough as one of them struck the side of his leg. Nemo grit his teeth as Undyne towered threateningly, before punching her in the face again. "But even if you could beat me…" More spears came from the ground. Nemo did his best to dodge, but one managed to hit him. Next thing he knew his green soul shield was back. He decided to get creative and used his shield for a killer backhand. Not that it did much better than his bare hands. "No human has EVER made it past Asgore!" The square was back. Front, back, front back, front, front, back, back, front, back. The spears were getting faster as the second to last front struck him in the back. Nemo was in so much pain that he was starting to see spots, and he was starting to lose blood. He shook his head and charged at Undyne, who was on the ground, pounding her fists as he brought his foot up, which connected with her jaw. "Honestly," She said, "killing you now is an act of mercy…!"

The square returned. Nemo noticed a slow moving spear from the left, and was confused by its speed, until spears from the other three directions came flying at him, two from each direction, he moved fast and managed to stop them before the spear on the left reached him, which was also blocked. The square vanished once more as Nemo struck her again. She was quiet as she summoned three spears on the left, then three on the right, a front, a back, and another front that tore through his other shoulder. As Undyne pointed heroically at the sky, the square vanished, giving Nemo the chance to deliver a roundhouse kick to her stomach. "So stop being so d mn resilient!" She shouted.

"Oi, watch your language in front of the kid." Wheezed Nemo as the square came back. Back, right, back, back, right, back, left, front. They came fast, the one on the left grazing his stomach before his soul returned to normal just in time for him to jump out of the way of a spear from the left. The square vanished as she flashed another menacing smile at him, before getting punched again.

"What the #ell are humans made of!?" She demanded. Spears started appearing in the air at multiple angles, and Nemo lacked a shield.

"Running time!" He shouted as he moved around to avoid the spears, but it wasn't enough as one of the spears tore through his leg and destroyed his knee. He let out a choked cry as he hit the ground, breathing heavily.

"Nemo!" Cried Frisk worriedly. Nemo tried to force himself to his feet, only to collapse on the ground as it felt like his knee was on fire. He breathed heavily before looking at his smaller companion, then Undyne. It was then that he made a choice.

"FRIIISK! RUUUN!" He shouted as loud as he could.

"W-what!? No! I can't leave you!" They cried back.

"Go now! I promised her I'd protect you, I won't let her kill us both!" He shouted as Undyne approached him. Frisk put their hands over their mouth and cried before ultimately running away, past Undyne and into the cave. She made no move to stop them. Nemo's breathing was ragged as Undyne reached him.

"I'm impressed, you decided that the life of your companion was worth more than your own." Said Undyne.

"I promised… that I'd protect them…" Wheezed Nemo.

Undyne looked down at him. "...We already have six souls… an eighth will do us no good." She said.

Nemo looked at her. "What are you getting at?" He asked.

"After I take your soul, I will fulfill that promise in your stead." Said Undyne. Nemo looked at her with wide eyes before letting out a chuckle. "What's so funny punk?"

"Can't believe I'm feeling gratitude to the person who's about to kill me, that's all." Said Nemo.

"Don't act so shocked, we may be enemies, but I'm not heartless, that child doesn't have the dust of monsters on their hands like you, I'm willing to spare them." Said Undyne.

Nemo let out a chuckle at that too. "Thank you… Undyne." He said.

"Whatever, rest in peace punk." Said Undyne as she summoned a spear, held it over Nemo, and sent it straight into his heart. After that, the world became dark, darker, yet darker.

**Page 19 End**


	20. Chapter 3, Page 8

Nemo inhaled sharply as he took in his surroundings. His leg was fine, he was standing, Undyne was still on top of the cave, and he was still alive. "What… happened?" He asked as he looked at his own hands. "_Did I… die?"_ He asked himself. He groaned as something rammed into his side. He looked down to see Frisk holding onto him, shaking. "Frisk?" Asked Nemo in confusion as his brain tried to catch up with everything that just happened.

"N-Nemo…!" They cried. "I-I was so scared! I thought I had lost you for good! I thought I couldn't bring you back!"

Then it dawned on him. "You used your power to take us to before I fought Undyne." He said. Frisk only nodded their head. "Geez kid, I'm sorry." He wrapped his arms around Frisk and held them tight. After a moment, he parted from them. "Well, I guess I only have one thing left to do now."

"What is it?" Asked Frisk as Nemo turned to the cave.

"Win." He replied as he approached the same spot as before.

"W-wait! But she'll just kill you again!" Said Frisk.

"No she won't." Said Nemo. "After all, I promised that _I'd_ be the one to get you out of here right? Can't do that if I lose here."

"That's it, then…! No more running away!" Shouted Undyne as she leapt at him and his soul manifested. "HERE I COME!" Once on the ground, she waved her spear at him and Nemo's soul became a green shield once more, who cracked his knuckles in response. "En guarde!"

Nemo took the initiative, running up and punching her in the jaw with his right hand. But Undyne barely flinched. "As long as you're green, you can't escape! Unless you learn to face danger head-on… you won't last a _second _against _me_!" Then the white square appeared, then the three spears. Nemo blocked them all with ease. The square vanished as Undyne drew a finger across her neck. He then ran up and threw a side kick into her stomach, barely even earning a flinch "Not bad! Then how about THIS!?" She shouted. Nemo moved back as the square reformed. Two spears from the front, two from the left, and two from the right. Nemo moved quickly, blocking all six spears. Undyne was bouncing impatiently as the square vanished.

"Deja vu." Mumbled Nemo as he used his other arm to punch her.

"For years, we've dreamed of a happy ending... " Said Undyne as the white square returned. Left, right, left, right, two from the left, two on the right, and one from the back. He moved quickly, halting the advance of each spear before he could get a repeat of how the fight ended last time. While the square faded, Undyne pointed heroically at the sky. Nemo used his other leg to hit her with a roundhouse kick, ignoring the pain he felt each time he struck her.

"_I can't tell which is tougher, her skin or her suit."_ He thought with a wince.

"And now, sunlight is just within our reach!" Said Undyne. The square then came back. Front, right, back, left, front, right, back, left, four from the front. Memories of the last fight let him react to each spear in time to block them all. He moved in to attack once more with another punch, and hardly a reaction from Undyne. "I won't let you snatch it away from us!" Said Undyne as the square vanished. Left, two up, right, two front, left, front, back. All blocked.

Think fast fins!" Said Nemo as he kicked her again.

"NGAHHHH! Enough warming up!" Said Undyne.

"_Here we go." _Thought Nemo as the square returned. One from the right, then the front. Two came from the back and right at the same time, and this time, he got the timing right, blocking them all with ease. Then his soul returned to normal as he ran forward to avoid the spear. He then leapt into the air and planted his foot into Undyne's face. "Frisk! Run!" He shouted as he jumped off and over Undyne. Frisk's eyes widened as they realized his plan. Together they took off and ran through the opening. Unfortunately, despite how fast they were, Undyne was faster.

Suddenly Nemo's soul was green again. "Cruuud!" He shouted as he held his shield up to Undyne.

"You won't get away from me this time!" Said Undyne.

"Look Undyne, I don't want to fight you anymore, just let us leave!" Said Nemo.

"Honestly I'm doing you a favor." She said as the white square returned. Front, back, front, back, front, front, back, front. Nemo blocked her spears, one after pointed heroically at the sky as the square faded. Nemo saw his opening and kicked her again. "No human has EVER made it past Asgore!" The square was back. Slow spear on the left, that meant- Front, right, back, front, right, back, block that left! Nemo sighed as he evaded injury this time. Undyne flashed a menacing smile as the square vanished. Nemo ran up to her and did a kick so high that the bottom of his shoe made contact with her chin. "Killing you now is an act of mercy.

Fast ones from the left, fast ones from the right- Nemo groaned as one caught his side- front, back, front. Undyne supplexed a boulder and Nemo took the opportunity to stomp both his feet on her stomach before jumping away, but she got up barely even hurt. "So stop being so d mn resilient!" She shouted as the square returned. A blur of spears at all ends, one managing to catch a shoulder and another struck part of his free arm. Then his soul was white once more and he jumped back from a spear from the side before he and Frisk, who'd been standing there the whole time, bailed.

"Running, running, running!" Said Nemo as she caught up to them. The pair didn't get far before his soul went green and Undyne was towering over him threateningly.

"You've escaped from me for the last time!" She shouted. Nemo backhanded her with his shield. "Alphys told me humans were determined…" She said as the square came back. Right, left, right, left. Then a yellow spear came at him from the right, but it was slower and backwards. Then, just before it reached him, it was suddenly behind him and coming point first straight at him.

"Geez!" Shouted Nemo as he spun and blocked the spear. As the square vanished Nemo then jumped and did a flying kick at Undyne before using her to jump away.

"I see now what she meant by that." Said Undyne. The square was up. Now she was mixing yellow spears in with her attacks, fortunately Nemo was able to keep up. The square vanished as Undyne flashed another menacing smile. He moved quickly to elbow her in the jaw. "But I'm determined too!" Square. Normal spear from each direction. Blocked. Yellow spear from each direction. Blocked. Square vanished. Nemo stopped focusing on her other action and attacked again. "Determined to end this, RIGHT, NOW!" Square, more spears, both normal and yellow, but they were all blocked. The spears paused for a moment and Nemo saw the opportunity to Nemo attack again. "...RIGHT NOW!" The square returned and more spears came, one of which caught Nemo, but he didn't focus on that as he heard the wind howling in the background. The square vanished and he punched her once more. "...RIGHT...NOW!" She shouted. The square came back and the spears came at blinding speed. Nemo groaned as he failed to block some and they pierced his body, he stumbled, unable to attack. "Ha... ha..." The square returned. A swarm from the left, then more on the right. Blocked. The spears paused and the square vanished long enough for another attack.

"NGAHH! DIE ALREADY YOU BRAT!" She shouted. More spears came at him, some of which weren't blocked. Nemo was seeing spots again and was worried that his luck had run out when his soul turned white once more. He ducked under the spear from the side before he and Frisk took off running and spears went flying at them as they ran past a "WELCOME TO HOTLAND" sign. Suddenly their phone was ringing, and Nemo pulled it out to answer, only to notice that Undyne stopped running when he pulled out his phone. He raised an eyebrow at her and stopped before answering the phone.

"Hello?" He asked.

"_HEY IT'S ME!_" Said Papyrus. "_I WAS JUST THINKING… YOU, ME, AND UNDYNE SHOULD ALL HANG OUT SOMETIME! I THINK YOU WOULD MAKE GREAT PALS._" Nemo looked down at the phone, then over at Undyne.

"You don't say." He said drily.

"_LET'S MEET UP AT HER HOUSE LATER!_" Said Papyrus. He then hung up. Suddenly Undyne was standing over them.

"Stop running away!" She shouted.

"...No." Said Nemo as he and Frisk took off. They went through an entryway and found themselves in an area full of tall rocks over lava. Nemo didn't have time to be concerned as they ran past another sentry station that Sans was snoozing at, which made Undyne stop to glare angrily at him as they crossed another fake bridge. The two stopped for breath once across, and saw Undyne slowly walk to them.

But just as she reached the end, she mumbled, "Armor… so… hot… But I can't... give up..." Before collapsing.

"Uh…" Said Nemo as he looked at the downed fish monster. "Crud." He looked around and saw a water cooler. He ran over and grabbed a cup and filled it with water before running to her. He then poured the water on her. "_She's a fish, they like water, right?"_ He thought.

After the cup was empty, Undyne was still for a moment before standing up. She looked around in confusion before looking down at him. She said nothing as she walked away. Nemo groaned as he fell/sat down. "Paaain. I'm in pain. Pain, pain, pain." He groaned.

"Are you ok?" Asked Frisk worriedly. Nemo tilted his head back to look at them without actually getting up before lifting both hands into the air and pointing at his bloody and torn clothes. "Oh, right."

"C'mon," Said Nemo as he slowly stood up, "let's just keep moving."

"Ok." Said Frisk. The two then made their way to the west and soon found themselves at another glowing star. Frisk proceeded to grab the star, and the feeling of warmth came and Nemo's wounds were healed.

Speaking of warmth. "Holy cow it's hot out here, where are we?" Asked Nemo.

"I think it's called Hotland." Said Frisk.

"Ah, yes, that explains it." Said Nemo as he reached up and took his scarf off before tying it around his torso like a sash. Then a thought occurred to him. "Say, wasn't Sans back there? At that sentry station?" He asked.

"I think so, I'm pretty sure I saw him while we were running from Undyne." Said Frisk

"Let's go say hi." Said Nemo.

"Alright." Said Frisk. The two then made their way back the way they came, past the water cooler and over the fake bridge. But when they reached the sentry station, it was sans a Sans.

"Huh, guess he left." Said Nemo.

"Maybe he took a shortcut?" Suggested Frisk.

"I mean, I guess?" said Nemo. "Whatever, let's head back, and keep going."  
"Ok." Said Frisk.

They crossed the bridge for a third time, and made their way back to the star. From there they had three options, go North, to the path the guards blocked, South, or East. "Any preference?" Asked Nemo.

"Let's go right." Said Frisk.

"Right." Said Nemo as they made their way South. Suddenly they were in a water area with a hooded person standing on a floating boat. "What the?" Asked Nemo.

"Tra la la. I'm the riverman Or am I the riverwoman…? It doesn't really matter. I love to ride in my boat. Would you care to join me?" Asked the Riverperson.

"_This seems sketchy." _Thought Nemo.

"Sure." Said Frisk.

"_Surprising no one." _Thought Nemo with a flat expression.

"Where would you like to go? Snowdin? Or perhaps Waterfall?" Asked the Riverperson.

"I guess… take us to Waterfall." Said Nemo.

"Then we're off." Said the Riverperson. The duo climbed onto the boat as it began to float down the stream. As they floated, the Riverperson spoke. "Tra la la. The waters are wild today. That's good luck…"

Nemo was tempted to ask what they meant by that, but before he could, they arrived at their destination. "Come again some time. Tra la la." Said the Riverperson.

"Thank you." Said Frisk. Together they made their way up the path and found themselves in front of that old turtle monster's shop.

"Wait, why are we here? We're supposed to be leaving the Underground, what good is coming back to Waterfall going to do?" Asked Nemo.

"Aren't we gonna visit Undyne?" Asked Frisk.

"Oh." Said Nemo as he recalled their brief phone call with Papyrus while Undyne was chasing them. "Right. Wait, we don't even know where she lives." Said Nemo.

"I think I might know." Said Frisk as they went left.

"What?" Asked Nemo in confusion as he followed them. Next thing he knew, they were back in that quiet area with one of the stars. "Why…?" He asked. Instead of an answer though, Frisk made their way up one of the left paths. Nemo blinked before chasing after them.

Lo and behold, they were now standing in front of a fish themed house, and in front of the door was Papyrus. "How did you…? He asked in confusion.

"I just kind of… knew." Said Frisk.

"Whatever." Said Nemo, deciding not to question it. They then made their way to Papyrus. "Hey there Papyrus."

"_I ASKED UNDYNE IF WE COULD ALL HANG_… _BUT SHE SAID SOMETHING WEIRD. SHE SAID SHE WON'T HANG OUT WITH A MURDERER. BUT… HMM… I DON'T REMEMBER MURDERING ANYONE… THOUGH I AM A PRETTY BRUTAL KIND OF GUY. THEN SHE SAID SOMETHING ABOUT WANTING TO… FIGHT SOME KIND OF BAD GUY. BUT SHE SEEMS VERY… WEAK FROM SOMETHING. SHE STEPPED OUT AND COLLAPSED IN THE DOORWAY. SO I'M JUST WAITING HERE IN CASE SHE NEEDS ME. SINCE SHE HATES BEING WAITED ON HAND AND FOOT. I THINK WE'LL HAVE TO HANG OUT LATER…_" Said Papyrus.

Frisk looked over at Nemo in concern, throughout all of this, he hadn't said a word, his face didn't even change, just staying at the same neutral expression. Then he smiled and said. "Sure thing Papyrus, we'll see you around. C'mon Frisk."

"O-ok." They said. The pair turned around and walked away. Once they went around the corner and out of Papyrus's sight, Nemo stopped and leaned against a wall with a sigh. "Are you ok?" They asked.

"She's right you know." Said Nemo. "I'm a murderer."

"N-." Said Frisk.

"No. Don't. It doesn't matter." Said Nemo as he stood up. "I can't change the past, and I still have a promise to keep. Let's get back to Hotland."

"Ok." Said Frisk as they followed him.

"_I have to keep moving forward, no matter the cost. I have to get them out of here."_ Thought Nemo as they made their way back to where the Riverperson was waiting.

"Tra la la. Care for a ride?" They asked.

"Yeah." Said Nemo.

"Where will we go today?" Asked the Riverperson.

"Take us back to Hotland please." Said Nemo.

"Then we're off…" Replied the Riverperson as the humans climbed aboard the boat. The duo suddenly felt the boat rise higher revealing a pair of legs.

"What the…?" Said Nemo. The boat then began to gallop, creating large pillars of water behind them with each step.

"Tra la la. Temmie Village… the room before the darkening lantern room." Sang the Riverperson.

"...What?" Asked Nemo.

Soon after the duo reached their destination and the boat sank back into the water, hiding its legs once more. "Come again some time. Tra la la." Said the Riverperson.

"Sure…" Said Nemo as he and Frisk stepped off the boat.

_**Page 20 End**_

_**Chapter 3 End**_

**DUALTALE**


	21. Chapter 4, Page 1

Frisk and Nemo looked around as they stood in front of the glowing star. They knew that to the left was where Nemo had fought Undyne, so going that way was pointless. They'd just come from the back, and it looked like if they tried to go forward, those guards wouldn't let them. "Well, due to our lack of options, it seems like we're going right." Said Nemo.

"Yeah." Said Frisk softly as they went right and walked for a short distance before finding themselves in front of a huge laboratory.

"Well _that _isn't ominous in _any _way, shape, or form." Commented Nemo drily. This earned him a small chuckle from Frisk before they entered the lab. It was kind of dark, the light's were all turned off. But enough of the natural lighting from outside coming in through the windows made it so that they could still see. As they ventured further into the lab, Nemo could hear Frisk whispering something. "What was that?" He asked.

"Huh?! Oh, uh… nothing." They said.

Nemo raised an eyebrow at them. "Riiight…" He said drily. The duo passed by an escalator and saw a large monitor with the two of them on it. "Wha…?" His head whipped around to look and see a camera in the ceiling, he then looked back at the screen. "Ok… that's a little dis- no, that's a lot disturbing."

"Yeah…" Said Frisk as they continued to stare.

"I get the feeling we shouldn't stay." Said Nemo.

"You're probably right." Said Frisk as they turned and continued moving. They continued walking, passing a gigantic table with a computer and a bunch of paperwork. Then a fridge and a pinkish-purple bag of… something. They then stopped when they heard a door open as the lights turned on. Out from the door stepped a yellow lizard monster in a lab coat. The monster then started walking towards them, but stopped when she noticed them.

"Oh. My god." She said as she started to move around nervously. "I didn't expect you to show up so soon!"

"What?" Asked Nemo.

"I haven't showered," She said.

"T.M.I." Said Nemo drily.

"I'm barely dressed," She continued.

"Aaand she's ignoring me, because of course she is." Said Nemo.

"It's all messy, and…" She said, she then stopped and looked at them. "Ummm… h-h-hiya! I'm Dr. Alphys. I'm Asgore's royal scientist!"

"_Oh yeah, I remember Undyne mentioning someone named Alphys." _Thought Nemo.

"B-b-but, ahhhh, I'm not one of the 'bad guys'!" She continued.

"_I wasn't aware there _were _bad guys."_ Thought Nemo. "_Wait, is she referring to Undyne?"_

"Actually, since you stepped out of the ruins, I've, um…" Said Alphys.

"Been watching us like a creepy a-" Started Nemo, but paused when he remembered Frisk was present. "...a creepy stalker?"

"Right… th-that." Said Alphys. "Though I prefer the term, 'observing your journey through my console'. Your fights… your friendships… everything! I was originally going to stop you, but… watching someone on a screen really makes you root for them. S-so, ahhh, now I want to help you!"

"Really? Just like that?" Asked Nemo with a raised eyebrow.

"Y-yeah, using my knowledge, I can easily guide you through Hotland!" Said Alphys. "I know a way right to Asgore's castle, no problem!" Said Alphys. "...Well, actually, umm, there's just a tiny issue."

"I don't like the way you phrased that…" Said Nemo.

"A long time ago, I made a robot named Mettaton." Explained Alphys. "Originally, I built him to be an entertainment robot. Uh, you know, like a robotic TV star or something."

"Okay…?" Said Nemo.

"Anyway, recently I decided to make him more useful. You know, just some small practical adjustments." Said Alphys. "Lik, um… anti… anti-human combat features?"

"Oh you've gotta be kidding me." Said Nemo as the image of an imposing, murderous machine entered his mind.

"Of c-course, when I saw you coming, I immediately decided… I have to remove those features!" Said Alphys.

"But… let me guess…" Said Nemo drily as he gestured for her to continue.

"Unfortunately, I may have made a teensy mistake while doing so." Said Alphys nervously.

"Ah, yup, there it is." Said Nemo.

"And, um… now he's an unstoppable killing machine with a thirst for human blood?" She said nervously.

"Oh you've gotta be _kidding _me!" Said Nemo as he buried his face in his hands. "How do you call _that_ a teensy mistake!?"

"Ehehehehe…" Laughed Alphys nervously. "Heh. But, ummm, hopefully we won't run into him!" Nemo gave her a flat expression as he held up three fingers and used them to count backwards. Once all three fingers were down, a loud clanging sound was heard.

"Called it." Said Nemo drily. Alphys and Frisk made confused expressions. Another clang was heard.

"Did you hear something?" Asked Alphys.

"No… of course I hear something!" Snapped Nemo. "I can even tell you what's making the sound!" More clanging was heard, and it was getting louder.

"Oh no." Said Alphys.

Suddenly there was a flash of white before the room went dark. "OHHHH YES!" They heard a voice shout. "WELCOME, BEAUTIES…" There was a drumroll before a spotlight appeared above the northern wall, where they saw a large hole in it, and in front of the hole was… a giant calculator with arms and a wheel keeping it up.

"_Huh, not what I was expecting."_ Thought Nemo.

"...TO TODAY'S QUIZ SHOW!" Shouted Mettaton into a microphone in his right hand.

"This is the murderous killing machine with a thirst for human blood? Asked Nemo unimpressed.

Suddenly music started playing as confetti fell from the ceiling and a neon sign with the words "QUIZ SHOW" printed on it was lowered along with two colorful disco balls.

"OH BOY! I CAN ALREADY TELL IT'S GONNA BE A GREAT SHOW! EVERYONE GIVE A BIG HAND FOR OUR WONDERFUL CONTESTANTS!" Mettaton then started clapping as an audio track of clapping played in the background.

"_Is this guy for real?"_ Thought Nemo.

"NEVER PLAYED BEFORE, GORGEOUS? NO PROBLEM! IT'S SIMPLE! THERE'S ONLY ONE RULE. ANSWER CORRECTLY…" Said Mettaton before the music abruptly cut out. "OR YOU DIE!" He then proceeded to laugh maniacally.

"Well ok then, this just took a turn." Said Nemo.

"Well, it's not anything we're not used to.' Said Frisk.

"I guess not." Said Nemo.

Suddenly their souls manifested. "LET'S START WITH AN EASY ONE!" Said Mettaton as he pulled out a piece of paper from… somewhere, and read off it while a holographic screen appeared. "What's the prize for answering correctly?" On the screen were four options A: Money. B:Mercy. C: A new car. And D: More questions.

Nemo looked at Mettaton before looking over at Alphys who he noticed was making a D with her hands. Nemo sighed before answering. "D?"

"RIGHT! SOUNDS LIKE YOU GET IT!" Said Mettaton happily. "HERE'S YOUR TERRIFIC PRIZE!" He pulled the paper back out. "What is the king's full name?" This time the screen read A: Lord Fluffybuns. B: Fuzzy Pushover. C: Asgore Dreemurr. Or D: .

Nemo couldn't help but chuckle at that before answering out the only real name among those four. "C?"

"CORRECT! WHAT A TERRIFIC ANSWER!" Said Mettaton. "ENOUGH ABOUT YOU. LET'S TALK ABOUT ME!" Out came the paper. "What are robots made of?" On the screen was A: Hopes & Dreams. B: Metal & Magic. C: Snips & Snails. And D: Sugar & Spice

"_These questions are dumb." _Thought Nemo as he answered. "B."

"TOO EASY FOR YOU. HUH?" Asked Mettaton. "HERE'S ANOTHER EASY ONE FOR YOU!" He pulled out the paper and started reading an essay long math problem. As he talked, the screen showed the four answers. A: 31.054 minutes. B: 16.232 minutes. C: 32.049 minutes. And D: 32.058 minutes.

Nemo looked over to Alphys who was making a D with her hands. Nemo shrugged and decided to roll with it. "D?" He asked.

"WONDERFUL! I'M ASTOUNDED FOLKS!" Declared Mettaton. Then Nemo noticed something. This was still a fight, albeit a rather dumb one. So he charged forward and punched Mettaton. Only for it to do nothing but really hurt his hand.

"Ow…" He groaned.

"DON'T 'COUNT' ON YOUR VICTORY…" Said Mettaton. Nemo raised an eyebrow as the paper came out. "How many flies are in the jar?" Suddenly a screen with a jar full of flies buzzing around in it.

"Ah…" Said Nemo. Another screen appeared with the answers. A: 54. B: 53. C: 55. D: 52. Nemo looked over and saw Alphys make an A with her hands. "Let's go with A."

"CORRECT! YOU'RE SO LUCKY TODAY!" Said Mettaton. With nothing better to do, Nemo simply stood there and waited. "LET'S PLAY A MEMORY GAME." Out came the paper. "What monster is this?" Then a screen with half of a Froggit's face appeared.

"I sense a narcissistic trick question." Muttered Nemo. Another screen with the answers showed up. A: Froggit. B: Whimsun. C: Moldsmal. D: Mettaton. "D." Said Nemo drily.

The screen with the Froggit face shifted to show Mettaton with a Froggit's face painted on his chest. "I'M SO FLATTERED YOU REMEMBERED!" Said Mettaton.

"Shocker." Said Nemo drily, causing Frisk to smile.

"BUT CAN YOU GET THIS ONE?" Asked Mettaton. He pulled the paper once more. "Would you smooch a ghost." It went quiet.

"...What?" Asked Nemo in confusion. The next screen appeared with the answers. All of them were "Heck Yeah". "...Heck yeah." Said Nemo reluctantly.

"GREAT ANSWER! I LOVE IT!" Said Mettaton, he then moved to the next question. "HERE'S A SIMPLE ONE." Cue paper. "How many letters are in the name Mettaton?"

Nemo looked at the name and started counting, only for a bunch of 'n's to suddenly start appearing at the end. He looked down at the answers, and he saw that the numbers written in each slot were increasing as well. He sighed before looking at Alphys, who was making a C with her hands. "C." Said Nemo unimpressed.

"OF COURSE THAT WAS EASY FOR YOU!" Said Mettaton. "TIME TO BREAK OUT THE BIG GUNS!" Paper. "In the dating simulation video game "Mew Mew Kissy Cutie" What is Mew Mew's favorite food?"

Nemo raised his eyebrow before he heard Alphys excitedly shout. "OH! OH! I KNOW THIS ONE! IT'S SNAIL ICE CREAM! IN THE FOURTH CHAPTER EVERYONE GOES THE BEACH! AND SHE BUYS ICE CREAM FOR ALL OF HER FRIENDS!"

"_This is so obviously a trap." _Thinks Nemo as Alphys continues to rant.

"BUT IT'S SNAIL FLAVOR AND SHE'S THE ONLY ONE WHO WANTS IT! IT'S ONE OF MY FAVORITE PARTS OF THE GAME BECAUSE IT'S ACTUALLY A VERY POWERFUL message about friendship and…" Alphys trails off, realizing her mistake.

Mettaton wags a finger at her. "ALPHYS. ALPHYS. ALPHYS. YOU AREN'T HELPING OUT CONTESTANT, ARE YOU?" He asks as Alphys looks around nervously. "OOOOOH! YOU SHOULD HAVE TOLD ME. I'LL ASK A QUESTION… YOU'LL BE SURE TO KNOW THE ANSWER TO!" This causes Alphys to start chewing on the tips of her claws nervously. Paper out. "Who does Dr. Alphys have a crush on?"

Nemo stares for a second before coughing/laughing into his fist. "Wa-ha-ha-how Mettaton, that is cruel!" He laughs.

"WHY THANK YOU DARLING." Said Mettaton.

"Nemo, don't be mean." Said Frisk.

"C'mon Frisk, it's a little funny." Said Nemo with a grin.

"Mmm…" Said Frisk.

"Whatever, let's see the answers." Said Nemo as he read the answers. A: Undyne. B: Asgore. C: One of the humans. D: Don't know. This made Nemo think. "_Let's see… not D, that's basically a surender. I doubt it's one of us. The king maybe? Wait… a second. Nerd with crush on jock? Oh this has to be a cliche." _Nemo looked over to see Alphys nervously gesturing to them, telling them not to answer. "It's Undyne, isn't it?" Asked Nemo.

There was silence for a moment before Alphys turned beet red and hid her face in her hands. "SEE ALPHYS? I TOLD YOU IT WAS OBVIOUS." Said Mettaton. "EVEN THE HUMAN FIGURED IT OUT. YES, SHE SCRAWLS HER NAME IN THE MARGINS OF HER NOTES. SHE NAMES PROGRAMMING VARIABLES AFTER HER. SHE EVEN WRITES STORIES OF THEM TOGETHER… SHARING A DOMESTIC LIFE. PROBABILITY OF CRUSH: 101 PERCENT. MARGIN OF ERROR. ONE PERCENT." Alphys uncovers her face as Mettaton decides to wrap things up. "WELL WELL WELL. WITH DR. ALPHYS HELPING YOU… THE SHOW HAS NO DRAMATIC TENSION! WE CAN'T GO ON LIKE THIS! BUT. BUT! THIS WAS JUST THE PILOT EPISODE! NEXT UP, MORE DRAMA! MORE ROMANCE! MORE BLOODSHED! UNTIL NEXT TIME, DARLINGS…!" Mettaton's arms and wheel then retracted before he blasted off like a rocket. Everyone watched him go. The lights returned to normal and Alphys turned back to the humans.

"Well that was certainly something." Said Alphys, she then looked nervous. "Th-that last question… he wasn't s-supposed to ask that one…"

"Relax Alphys, from what I can tell, Undyne is too busy recuperating from trying to kill us and nearly being cooked alive to even stay awake, much less watch TV. So I think you're good." Said Nemo.

"Oh thank goodness… wait, recuperating!? Why!? Is she hurt!?" Asked Alphys worriedly as she clung onto his arm.

"N-no, stop!" Said Nemo he grabbed one of her claws with his free hand. "Don't worry, she's just exhausted, and Papyrus is watching her, so she'll be fine."

"Oh thank goodness…" Said Alphys.

Nemo chuckled. "Well, that was fun, catch you around doc." Said Nemo as he and Frisk moved past her and made their way to the exit.

"Wait, wait!" Said Alphys, making them stop.

"Now what?" Asked Nemo as they looked at her.

She then walked over to them. "Let me give you my ph-phone number! Th-then… m-maybe… if you need help, I could..." She said nervously.

Nemo sighed. "Sure thing." He said as he pulled out his phone.

Alphys stared at it. "Wh… where'd you get that phone!? It's ANCIENT!" She exclaimed. "It doesn't even have texting. W-wait a second please!" She then grabbed his phone and booked it. She went up to her workshop and suddenly there were sounds of machinery. Nemo made a face of concern as he heard her work. She then came back. "Here, I upgraded it for you!" She said.

"I'm not even going to ask." Said Nemo as he took the phone back. "It can do texting, items, it's got a key chain… I even signed you up for the underground's Number 1 social network! Now we're officially friends! Ehehehe! Heheh… heh…" Then there was an awkward pause. I'm going to the bathroom." She said as she left through the door she'd first entered through. Nemo and Frisk blinked before exchanging a look. They both giggled before taking their leave.

**Page 21 End**


	22. Chapter 4, Page 2

They didn't get far outside of the lab before they heard and alert from the phone. Nemo pulled it out and checked it.

"Alphys updated their status." Read Nemo. "_Why can I read _this _but none of the other stuff? ...doesn't matter." _"Just realized that I didn't watch Undyne fight the human. Emoticon." Then they resumed walking. They didn't get far before it pinged again. "Alphys updated their status. Well, I know she's unbeatable, I'll ask her about it later. Emoticon." They continued walking. And again, they didn't get far before it pinged again. Nemo's eye twitches as he looked at the phone. "Alphys updated status. For now I gotta call up the humans and guide them. Emoticon." He said in an annoyed voice. Nemo knew there was no point in turning in putting the phone away, so he gripped the phone in his right hand, and marched forward. They walked for a short time before reaching a split in the road and both paths had conveyor belts. One belt went away from them, and the other went towards them. "Ok… let's try that one." Said Nemo as he pointed at the one that would actually let them keep going.

"Alright." Said Frisk as they walked to the conveyor belt. The duo carefully stepped on before it started to take them through Hotland. Unfortunately they didn't get far before they were dragged into another battle. Their souls manifested as a Vulkin strolled in.

"Uh, walking volcano." Said Nemo worriedly.

"Speed will help dodge!" Said the small volcano. It then summoned a small flying cloud above them that started shooting lightning.

"Not what I was expecting!" Shouted Nemo as he and Frisk jumped out of the way. Nemo's arms flailed as he got dangerously close to the edge of the belt. Then a bolt hit his chest and he fell over.

"Nemo!" Cried Frisk. Thankfully he managed to grab the edge of the belt and pulled himself up.

"You're hurt! I will heal you!" Said the Vulkin. Suddenly two pillars of smoke rose from the sides of the belt and fire balls started flying from the smoke. Nemo and Frisk did their best to avoid, which wasn't easy considering where they were standing. Nemo cringed as a fireball struck his arm.

"Frisk! Get down!" Said Nemo. Frisk complied, crouching down. Nemo smirked while doing the same before letting the belt do its job and carry them away. Nemo was finally able to let out a sigh of relief as the belt dropped them off at the end of the belt on an area connected to the other belt and their souls vanished. Nemo got up and the duo began to continue forward. But soon after they resumed walking, the phone dinged again. Nemo gave the phone a menacing look before reading. "Alphys updated their status. Gonna call them in a minute. Emoticon." He sighed before the humans resumed walking, only to reach another split in the road with two, more strangely shaped belts.

"Let's go left." Said Frisk.

"Agreed." Said Nemo. They stepped onto the belt, and one uneventful ride later, they were dropped off on another connecting area. The duo proceeded on the path and soon found another star. Frisk went over and put a hand on it. Nemo sighed as his wounds vanished, though considering where they were, the feeling of warmth wasn't particularly fun. The duo continued walking, and they heard a ping come from the phone. Nemo's eye twitched as he pulled out the phone. "Alphys updated her status, surprise, surprise." He said with an eye roll. "I hate using the phone I don't want to do this lmao. Emoticon."

The duo looked and saw a split in the road. On one way the path just led to a dead end with some weird pipes making a square at the end, the other path was similar, but in the center of the square there was a glowing red arrow with puffs of steam coming off of it. "What do you think it does?" Asked Nemo.

"I think it's another puzzle to get us across." Said Frisk.

"What makes you… say…" Nemo responded, trailing off as Frisk went ahead to the arrow. "Frisk!" He called as he chased them, only to stop as his soul manifested. He looked and… "Is… is that an airplane?" Lo and behold, it was an airplane… flying in place, which was an impossibility within itself but that didn't matter, granted it was tiny compared to other airplanes, it was only about twice Nemo's size, and it had a hat, because why not? "Hi there?" He said uncertainly.

"B-baka!" Said the plane angrily, which only confused Nemo more. It started summoning mini airplanes that would fly by Nemo and leave small fire balls. Nemo managed to evade them easily enough though.

"Nope! Not today!" Said Nemo as he bailed from the fight, his soul soon vanishing. He followed Frisk, who had used the arrow to get launched across the dead end to another path. He stepped on and was soon flying across the gap and the lava in it. He did a solid landing on both feet. "The underground is freaking weird." Said Nemo as he looked at the airplane over his shoulder.

"A little bit." Said Frisk as they took a left before stepping onto another arrow. Nemo followed them and the duo found themselves on a path with two different arrows, one going left and the other going right. Frisk decided to go right. Nemo decided to follow them. They were launched again, but rather than take the next arrow, Frisk walked straight past it.

"Where are you going?" Wondered Nemo. This time the area they were at had an arrow that kept changing between left and right. Nemo looked over and noticed that the area to the right had a frying pan on it. "What's that doing out here?" He asked, but got no response as Frisk walked over and got launched across to the right side. They stopped and picked the frying pan and examined it for a moment. Then they walked back over to Nemo and handed it to him. "What am I supposed to do with this?" He asked. Then he remembered something he'd noticed when he was looking at the phone one of the many times Alphys had updated her status. He looked at his small contact list and saw two new ones next to Toriel's and Papyrus's, which read as "Dimensional Box A" and "Dimensional Box B." Nemo selected box A. He looked and saw a list of the things they had found while traveling. Next to it was a list of things he currently had, which only read as, "Burnt Pan." He selected the on the list pan, and it moved to the other list before the real thing suddenly vanished. "Woah." He said before looking back at the contacts list. He stared for a moment before selecting Papyrus's name. It rang for a moment, but he got no response. He sighed before pocketing the phone and following after Frisk.

He wound up flying across some more arrows before meeting up with Frisk back on that one piece of path with two arrows. As soon as he was there, Frisk continued to the left arrow. "_They're unusually quiet." _Noted Nemo. Suddenly the phone pinged. He stopped and read it, hoping to see Papyrus's name. But no, it was just Alphys updating their status. "omg ive had my claw over the last digit for 5 minutes omg i'm just gonna do it i'm just gonna call!" It read. Nemo chuckled and rolled his eyes, not bothering to put the phone away because he knew a call would be coming his way. He then followed after Frisk across the arrow. As soon as he caught up with them, the phone started ringing. Frisk looked at him, and Nemo was about to answer, but then the call ended before he had the chance to pick up. "I think that was Alphys." Said Nemo.

"...Why is that?" Asked Frisk.

"She updated her status a few seconds ago saying that she was about to call." Said Nemo flatly.

This made Frisk chuckle. "That sounds like her." They said.

"Nice to see you talking again, you were getting pretty quiet." Said Nemo.

"Oh… was I?" Asked Frisk worriedly.

"Yeah…. Are you feeling ok Frisk? I know you've said you were fine before, but you know it's ok to _not _be fine right?" Asked Nemo.

"Y...yeah, and I am fine, really." Said Frisk.

"If you say so." Replied Nemo after a moment of silence. He then walked past them. "Let's keep going."

"Ok." They said as they followed after him. They walked and saw the path curve right, and then as the path went, a strange contraption was generating an orange light across the path. Suddenly the phone began to ring.

"Hello?" Asked Nemo after pulling the phone out and putting it next to his ear.

"Uhh! H-hi, so the blue lasers… Uhh! I mean, Alphys here! Hi!" Said Alphys over the phone.

Nemo couldn't help but chuckle at her awkwardness. "Hey there Alphys." He said.

"The blue lasers won't hurt you if you don't move!" Explained Alphys. "O-orange ones, um… y-you have to be moving, and they… um, they won't, um…"

"Orange lasers are the opposite of blue lasers. If I keep moving, I won't be hurt, is that what you're saying?" Asked Nemo.

"R-right!" Said Alphys.

"Alright, thanks for the tip Alphys." Said Nemo.

"Uh, yeah uh… bye!" She said nervously before hanging up. Nemo let out a huff of amusement before putting the phone away.

"You seem pretty ok with Alphys." Said Frisk.

"I mean, she hasn't tried to kill us yet, so there's that." Said Nemo.

"I guess that's true." Said Frisk.

Suddenly they heard a ping from the phone. Nemo grabbed it and checked. "Alphys updated status. OMG I did it." He read. "Claws haven't shook like that since Undyne called me to ask about the weather… emoticon." This earned a giggle from Frisk. "Alright, enough clowning around, let's get going."

"Right." Said Frisk. Nemo led the way and when he reached the orange lasers, lo and behold, he was able to pass through the first one without a scratch, same as the second one. Then he stopped when he saw the moving blue laser. Suddenly the phone pinged again.

"Alphys updated status. Wait, there's no weather down here why did she call me." He read. He rolled his eyes at that before putting the phone away. He took a few steps forward and let the blue laser pass right through him before speed walking through the next laser, which was orange. He repeated the process with a second blue and orange laser, before he and Frisk reached _two _moving blue lasers. Nemo stepped forward as one passed him, then the second passed and he started moving ahead.

"Watch out!" Cried Frisk.

"Huh?" Said Nemo as he turned just in time for the blue lasers to hit him from behind. Nemo let out a groan before freezing in place. The lasers continued forward then came back and passed him. He then moved forward through a final orange laser. Once past it he noticed a switch connected to some sort of pipe. He reached over and pressed it, which caused the lasers to deactivate. Frisk then caught up to him.

"Are you alright?" They asked worriedly.

"I'm fine, I'm fine… ow." Said Nemo as he rubbed his back. "Let's just keep going."

"Ok…" That said.

The duo barely made it five steps when the phone pinged again. Nemo checked the phone. "Alphys updated status. Oh my god I forgot to tell them where to go." He read. The duo continued walking. Two steps later and they received another update. "Alphys posted a picture. Cute pic of me right now. Emoticon… it's a pic of a garage can with a bunch of pink filters over it."

"I don't get it…" Said Frisk before looking to their side. "Oh… now I get it… that's sad." They said.

"Yeah, a little." Said Nemo. They continued walking, took a left on the path and came across a steaming, shifting arrow that led to three different paths. Suddenly the phone began to ring. "Hello?" Answered Nemo.

"A-A-Alphys here!" Said Alphys excitedly, making Nemo move the phone away from his ear as she shouted. " Th… the northern door will stay locked until you… s-solve the puzzles on the right and left! I… I think you sh-should g-g-go to the right first!" The phone then clicked as she hung up.

"Well all _right_ then, let's get going." Said Nemo as he approached the arrow. Unfortunately he mistimed it and got launched to the middle path. After some grumbling and a use of an arrow that took him back to where Frisk was, Nemo tried again. This time he went too early and ended up getting sent backwards. Frisk was lucky enough to side step and avoid him crashing into them. "One more time!" Said Nemo as he approached the arrow. This time he actually managed to get it right and was sent the right way. Frisk joined him soon after. As they approached a strange doorway with an upside down heart above it, the phone pinged again. "Alphys updated status. Wonder if it would be unfun if I explained the puzzle…"

The duo overheard some monsters talking. "Of course, an experienced fan like myself knows CGI when they see it…" Said one.

"And that's not even counting me!" Said the other. Nemo raised an eyebrow at them before shaking his head and returning his attention to the doorway. He and Frisk entered, not sure what to expect.

The duo saw a strange puzzle in front of them, involving squares and an arrow. "The door leading through the area is closed? So I tried the puzzle? But I kept running out of ammo, and it kept restarting?" Said a small monster wearing sunglasses. "And my two co-workers won't help? It's like they don't even wanna go to work?"

"Nemo, I found the instructions." Said Frisk.

Nemo turned to see Frisk standing on the other side of the room with a piece of paper. "What's it say?" He asked as he walked over.

"Shoot the opposing ship! Move the boxes to complete your mission." Read Frisk.

"Alrighty then…" Said Nemo as he walked over to what seemed to be the control pad. He pressed a button, causing the puzzle to light up. They saw two arrows, a yellow one on their side and a white on the other. "I guess these are the ships." Commented Nemo, he then noticed that next to his ship were two red shapes that must've represented their ammo. Nemo grabbed the joystick and pressed up. This caused one of the boxes to move forward. He pulled back, and both of the boxes moved backwards, he pressed left and it caused the upper box to move into an opening, but since there were no openings to the left of the lower one, it didn't move. "I think I get it." Nemo fiddled for a second, until one box was out of the way, and only the other one blocked their path. Nemo pressed another button, causing one of their projectiles to fire from the ship and destroy the box blocking their way. He fired again, and destroyed the ship. Nemo pressed again and the second projectile fired, destroying the enemy ship. The word 'congratulations appeared in its place in blue letters.

"You did." Said Frisk.

"Ha, nailed it." Said Nemo. The puzzle dimmed and the duo exited the room.

"Look Nemo." Said Frisk as they pointed at the top of the entryway. Nemo looked and saw that the upside down heart was glowing.

"Neat." Said Nemo. He then turned his attention to the steaming arrows. The pair walked to the first arrow and got launched to the main area. Then after some timing, they got launched to the left pathway. The duo walked, and then noticed a blue laser blocking their way. Suddenly their phone began to ring. "Hello?" Asked Nemo.

"Alphys! Here!" Said Alphys over the phone. "Th-that blue laser seems totally impassable! B-b-but! As the Royal Scientist, I h-have some tricks up my sleeve! I'll h-hack into th-the Hotland laser database and take it out!" She then hung up.

"And I thought Undyne was dramatic." Said Nemo drily before putting the phone away. The laser then turned off. The duo then walked into the puzzle room. It was the same _type_ of puzzle, but Nemo could tell this would be more difficult. He approached the control pad. The puzzle up, and two red blips appeared next to their ship. Nemo sighed before getting to work. It took about thirty seconds of fiddling, Nemo lined it up so only one box separated his ship and the enemies. Nemo pressed the fire button twice. The first shot destroyed the box, the second annihilated the ship. Nemo couldn't help but notice that when the ship was destroyed, it looked disturbingly familiar to when Toriel's soul was destroyed. Nemo inhaled sharply as he gripped his scarf, which was still wrapped around his torso.

"Nemo?" Asked Frisk, concerned.

Nemo turned and smiled at them. "Don't worry kiddo, let's just get going." He said.

They gave a small nod. "Ok…" They replied as the two of them exited the room.

_**Page 22 End**_


	23. Chapter 4, Page 3

Nemo and Frisk made their way back to the main path, before using the puffing arrow to get sent to the middle path. The middle path didn't go very far before reaching a set of double doors, both doors having a glowing emblem on them. "I guess that means we can go through." Noted Nemo.

Suddenly the doors opened. "I think you're right." Said Frisk. Nemo chuckled as they walked through. The went forward and took a right, before reaching the end of the path, which had a puffing arrow on it. Suddenly the phone pinged.

"Alphys updated status. Whatever. I'll just explain it." Read Nemo. Then the phone started ringing. Nemo answered it. "Hello?"

"Uuuh, I think… Umm… Hey! About the puzzles on the left and right…! They're a bit difficult to explain, but... " Said Alphys.

"We already solved them." Said Nemo.

"... uhhh, you already s-solved them?" Replied Alphys nervously. "Awesome!" The phone clicked as she hung up.

"Wait, isn't she watching us? How did she miss it?" Questioned Nemo.

"She has been on her phone a lot." Said Frisk. "Maybe she didn't notice?"

"I guess…" Said Nemo before putting the phone away. "That aside, let's keep going." He then focused on the arrow. "Alrighty then…" He slowly stepped onto the arrow before getting sent flying forward, and landing on another arrow, and being sent flying again onto another arrow, then being launched to a fourth arrow, and then onto a very colorful platform. His landing was less than graceful. Frisk came flying after him, and their landing was very graceful in contrast. "Show off." Said Nemo with a pout.

Frisk giggled at him. "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll get better." They said.

"I hope we don't stay down here long enough for me to get good at this." Commented Nemo drily.

"Yeah… I guess you have a point." Said Frisk as they continued walking.  
Suddenly it was very dark. "Stay behind me." Said Nemo as he put a hand behind him, gesturing for Frisk to stay back.

"Alright." They replied softly as the pair slowly made their way forward.

Suddenly the phone began to ring, causing both of them to jump. Nemo pulled the phone out. "Dang it Alphys what!?" Demanded Nemo.

"O-oh! Uh… h-hey, it's kind of dark in there, isn't it?" She asked nervously. "Don't worry! I'll hack into the light system and brighten it up!"

Suddenly the lights came on and the duo realized where they were. "...Is this a kitchen?" Asked Nemo.

"Oh no." Said Alphys over the phone. Suddenly Mettaton, who was wearing a chef's hat, just straight up rose from the ground.

"OHHHH YES!" He said into his microphone. "WELCOME, BEAUTIES, TO THE UNDERGROUND'S PREMIER COOKING SHOW! COOKING WITH A KILLER ROBOT!"

"Ah crud." Said Nemo.

"PRE-HEAT YOUR OVENS, BECAUSE WE'VE GOT A VERY SPECIAL RECIPE FOR YOU TODAY! WE'RE GOING TO BE MAKING… A CAKE!" Declared Mettaton.

"Huh… that sounds safe…" Said Nemo.

"MY LOVELY ASSISTANTS HERE WILL GATHER THE INGREDIENTS. EVERYONE GIVE THEM A BIG HAND!" Said Mettaton. There was a sound of applause as confetti rained from the city and landed on the heads of Frisk and Nemo, the latter of whom grumbled as he pulled confetti out of his hair. "WE'LL NEED SUGAR, MILK, AND EGGS. GO FOR IT, SWEETHEARTS!"

"And _why _are we agreeing to play along with this?" Asked Nemo.

"BECAUSE OTHERWISE YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO LEAVE!" Replied Mettaton.

"Fair enough." Sighed Nemo as he turned and went to the back counter, which had all the ingredients. "Frisk gimme a hand and grab the milk."

"Ok." Said Frisk as they ran over and grabbed the milk carton while Nemo grabbed the sugar and eggs. The duo brought the ingredients over and placed them next to the sink.

"PERFECT! GREAT JOB BEAUTIFUL!" Said Mettaton happily before turning to Nemo. "...AND YOU TOO I SUPPOSE."  
"Hardy har." Deadpanned Nemo.

"WE'VE GOT ALL THE INGREDIENTS WE NEED TO BAKE THE CAKE!" Said Mettaton. "MILK… SUGAR… EGGS… OH MY! WAIT A MAGNIFICENT MOMENT! HOW COULD I FORGET! WE'RE MISSING THE MOST IMPORTANT INGREDIENT!" Nemo looked at the robot in confusion. Suddenly Mettaton's screen face turned red as he pulled out a freaking chainsaw. "A HUMAN SOUL!"

"Uh… uh oh." Said Nemo nervously as he started backing away from the killer robot. Mettaton approached the duo as his screen flashed between yellow and red. He stopped when he heard a phone ring.

"HELLO…?" He responded. "I'M KIND OF IN THE MIDDLE OF SOMETHING HERE."

"W-wait a second!" Said Alphys over the phone. "Couldn't you make a… couldn't you use a… couldn't you make a substitution in the recipe?!"

"... A SUBSTITUTION? YOU MEAN, UAE A DIFFERENT, NON-HUMAN INGREDIENT? ...WHY?" Asked Mettaton.

"Uhh, what if someone's… vegan?" She said uncertainly.

"_Seriously?" _Asked Nemo internally with a flat expression.

"...VEGAN." Said Mettaton.

"Uh well I-" Started Alphys.

"THAT'S A BRILLIANT IDEA, ALPHYS!" Said Mettaton happily. "ACTUALLY, I HAPPEN TO HAVE AN OPTION RIGHT HERE! MTT-BRAND ALWAYS-CONVENIENT HUMAN-SOUL-FLAVOR-SUBSTITUTE!"  
"_Seriously!?" _Nemo thought in annoyance.

"A CAN OF WHICH… IS JUST OVER ON THAT COUNTER!" Said Mettaton as he pointed to a can on a distant counter. "WELL DARLINGS, WHY DON'T ONE OF YOU GO GET IT?"

"Sheesh." Said Nemo as he walked past Mettaton and over to the counter with Frisk close behind him. Just as Nemo reached the shelf, it retracted into the ground. "What…?" The counter then began to shake before hyper extending into the air. "Woah!" Said Nemo as he stepped back and watched the counter to continue to become taller. By the time it stopped, it was practically touching the roof of the underground. Nemo looked over at Mettaton. "..._Why_?"

"BY THE WAY, OUR SHOW RUNS ON A STRICT SCHEDULE IF YOU CAN'T GET THE CAN IN THE NEXT MINUTE… WE'LL JUST HAVE TO GO BACK TO THE ORIGINAL PLAN!" Said Mettaton.

"Are you kidding me!?" Demanded Nemo as his head snapped back to the top of the shelf.

"BETTER START CLIMBING DARLING!" Said Mettaton.

"Dude, don't call me darling, it's weird." Said Nemo with a flat look. Mettaton didn't say anything in response, and instead opted to fly up to where the can was. "Cruuud!" Shouted Nemo in frustration. Suddenly his phone started ringing. "What now Alphys!?" He said into the phone.

"Oh no! There's not enough time to climb up!" Said Alphys.

"Wow, _really_!? I didn't notice!" Nemo snapped.

Alphys was quiet. "F-f-fortunately, I might have a plan! When I upgraded your phone, I added a few… features." She said.

"Meaning?" Asked Nemo.

"You see that huge button that says… 'jetpack'?" Asked Alphys.

Nemo blinked and examined the phone, seeing the button in question. "How did I miss that?" He asked.

"Press it and watch what happens!" Said Alphys.

Nemo pressed the button and watched it float into the air and become a jetpack. "Woah." He said. THe pack then equipped itself onto his back.

"There!" Said Alphys as the jetpack fired up. " You should have just enough fuel to reach the top! Now, get up there!"

"Right!" Said Nemo as the pack carried him into the air. Unfortunately, Mettaton decided to play saboteur as he started to throw the ingredients down at Nemo. "Bleugh!" Said Nemo as he got facefuls of eggs, milk, and flour. His face was covered in ingredients by the time he reached the top.

"MY MY. IT SEEMS YOU'VE BESTED ME. BUT ONLY BECAUSE YOU HAD THE HELP OF THE BRILLIANT DOCTOR ALPHYS! OH, I LOATHE TO THINK WHAT WOULD HAPPEN TO YOU WITHOUT HER." Said Mettaton. Nemo gave the robot a flat look. "WELL, TOODLES!" Mettaton flew off before returning. "OH YES! ABOUT THE SUBSTITUTION… HAVEN'T YOU EVER SEEN A COOKING SHOW BEFORE? I ALREADY BAKED THE CAKE AHEAD OF TIME! SO FORGET ABOUT IT!" Nemo's eye twitched in annoyance as Mettaton flew away and he was returned to the ground and the jetpack became a phone.

"Nemo?" Asked Frisk.

"I… _really_… hate that guy." Said Nemo as he wiped away some of the mess on his face with the back of his wrist. Suddenly his phone began to ring. "What?" Answered Nemo drily.

"Wow! We… we did it!" Said Alphys. "We… we really did it! Great job out there, team! W-well, uh, anyway, let's keep heading forward!" THe phone clicked as she hung up.

Nemo sighed. "Gross, I think this stuff is starting to dry." He said.

"Hang on, there's a sink over there." Said Frisk as they tugged at his wrist and pointed at the sink.

"Thanks." Said Nemo as he walked over to the sink and turned the water on. After a few minutes Nemo's face was clean, albeit wet. The duo continued onwards from there, after a short walk, they found themselves at another star. "What are these even doing here? Did someone put them here? Or do they exist on their own? Can everyone see them, or just people who can… what'd he call it, reset? But then why can I see them?"

"Why are you asking me?" Asked Frisk as they looked up at him in confusion.

"I… I'm not sure, I just want answers, and the lack of them is starting to frustrate me." Said Nemo with an annoyed expression.

"Oh… ok." Said Frisk. Nemo rolled his eyes before letting out a huff of amusement and ruffling Frisk's hair.

"Whatever, it doesn't matter, we should keep going." Said Nemo.

"Alright." Said Frisk as they reached over and touched the star. Nemo pulled Frisk into a one armed hug as they walked further into Hotland. They didn't get far before their phone began to ring.

"Hello?" Asked Nemo.

"S-see that building in the distance?" Asked Alphys.

Nemo turned his head to the left and he saw the building Alphys was referring to. "Yeah? Why?" He asked.

"That's the Core. The source of all power for the underground." Explained Alphys. "It converts geothermal energy into magical electricity, by… uhh, anyway, that's where we're going to go. In the Core is an elevator directly into Asgore's castle. And from there… you can go home."

"Thanks Alphys." Said Nemo just before she hung up. The pair walked for a while before reaching an elevator. Above the door there was a letter and a number, reading 'R1'. "I wonder if there's an R2… and a D2." Said Nemo. Frisk rolled their eyes before entering the elevator. "Yeah… that was kind of a stretch." Said Nemo as he followed them. In the back of the elevator there were some labelled buttons. "I can't read those so I'll be leaving the decision to you."

Frisk nodded before pressing a button. The exit to the elevator shut before it began to shake as they moved. They stopped very soon and the exit opened up again. The duo walked out and down the path, only to find themselves at the star in front of Alphys's lab. "Oops." Said Frisk.

"Meh, we can just take the elevator back." Said Nemo.

"Yeah, I guess so." Said Frisk as the duo doubled back to the elevator. One short ride later and they found themselves in a new location.

They exited and spotted a short fire monster. "Heh. I'm Heats Flamesman. Remember my name!" He said.

"Ok…" Said Nemo as he and Frisk continued on their path. They soon found an area with another one of Sans's stations, and it had Sans in it as well. There was also a weird floating monster next to it holding a hotdog and a Vulcan with a hotdog resting in the top of it's head. "Hey Sans!" Greeted Nemo as he and Frisk approached the skeleton monster.

"Hey buds, what's up? Wanna buy some hot-dogs?" Asked Sans. "It's only thirty G."

"Two please." Said Nemo as he pulled out the money.

"Alright then… well, I've only got one dog left, so I'll give you a hot-cat instead." Said Sans. He handed them two pieces of food, one was an ordinary hot-dog, and the other was a hot-dog with cat ears on it.

"Heh, weird." Said Nemo a chuckle as he handed the hot-dog to Frisk. The duo then bit into their food. There was a pause before Nemo spit it back out. "Blegh! What the!?" He pulled the 'meat' out of the bun, only to realize that it wasn't meat, but a water sausage. "Sans…" Nemo said with a glare. Sans could only chuckle and shrug. Frisk simply shrugged and kept eating. "Seriously?" Asked Nemo drily, but got no response. Nemo could only sigh before the duo continued on their way, while Frisk continued to eat. "I'm not gonna question how you can stomach that thing." As they walked, their phone pinged. "Alphys posted a picture. Dinner with the girlfriend. Emoticon." He read. "Wait, girlfriend?" He asked in confusion. He looked over at Frisk, but all they could offer in response was a shrug. Nemo turned his attention back to the phone, and opened up the picture. It was a picture of a catgirl figurine next to a bowl of instant noodles. Nemo could only stare flatly at the picture for a solid fifteen seconds before sighing and putting the phone away. "Best not to go down that rabbit hole… er, lizard burrow… is that what it's called? I don't know." He said as he shook his head and continued walking with Frisk right behind him.

The duo didn't make much distance before Nemo's soul manifested and a Pyrope bounded toward him. Nemo made the first move as he punched the monster in the torso. It's body was hot (not like that, get your minds out of the gutter) but not enough to burn Nemo as he stepped back. "Burn baby, BURN!" Cackled the monster. It summoned orange magic fire balls with ropes to the sides of it that went flying at Nemo. Nemo moved quick, passing through the orange magic unharmed for the most part, but then at the end he got caught on a rope and it whipped his stomach and left hip. Nemo let out a hiss of pain before spinning and kicking the monster. Nemo sighed as the monster faded to dust.

"It's been a while since I killed a monster." Said Nemo flatly as he stared at the Pyrope's dust.

"Yeah…" Said Frisk softly.

"C'mon, let's keep going." Said Nemo. Suddenly their phone pinged. Nemo pulled it out. "A- oh. Coolskeleton95 posted a picture." He said in surprise. This caught Frisk's attention. "Are we posting hot pics? Here is me and my cool friend." Nemo let out a chuckle as he showed Frisk the picture of Papyrus flexing in front of the mirror while wearing sunglasses. Giant, muscular biceps were pasted onto his arms. The biceps are also wearing sunglasses. The picture made Frisk laugh as well.

Suddenly the phone pinged again. "Alphys updated status. Lol, Coolskeleton95! ...that's a joke, right?" Nemo read. The phone pinged again. "Coolskeleton95 updated status. The only joke here, is how strong my muscles are." Nemo couldn't help but chuckle, and neither could Frisk. The phone pinged again. "Napstablook22 has sent you a friend request. Sure, why not." Said Nemo as he pressed the Accept button. But it seems like it had already rejected itself. "Oh.." Nemo looked over and noticed something forward and to the left. "What's that?"

The duo walked and took a left at a split in the path, and came across a stained apron. Frisk bent down and picked it up. They then removed their glasses before putting the apron on. "What do you think?" They asked.

"Not bad." Said Nemo as he sent the glasses to the dimensional box via the phone. "Now c'mon, we should keep moving."

"Alright." Said Frisk as the pair continued their trek to the Core.

_**Page 23 End**_


	24. Chapter 4, Page 4

Nemo and Frisk stood before another fork in the road with two conveyor belts that went opposite directions. "Oh _goodie_." Said Nemo drily. Suddenly their phone began to ring. Nemo pulled the device out and answered. "Hey Alphys, what's up?" He asked.

"H… hi…! This p-puzzle is kinda… um… timing-based. Y-you see those switches over there?" Asked Alphys.

"Over where? I can't see where you're pointing through a phone." Said Nemo.

"O-oh, right…" Said Alphys.

Suddenly Nemo felt Frisk put their hand on his arm. Nemo looked down at them and saw that they were pointing in a direction. Nemo followed their finger and saw the switches. "Oh. Nevermind that last part, we found them." He said.

"O-ok!" Said Alphys. "Y-you'll have to press all three of them within three seconds. I'll try to help you with the rhythm." She then hung up.

"Ok…" Said Nemo as he walked to the start of the conveyor belt. Nemo took one last look at where the switches were before stepping onto the belt. The belt carried him across. As he neared the first switch, Nemo stuck his hand out and smacked it, and he repeated the process with the second button. But as he reached the last button, the phone began to ring, which threw him off, and caused him to smack the metal pole instead. Nemo let out a hiss of pain and shook his hand as he reached the end of the belt.

"OK! Now press the third one!" Said Alphys. Nemo said nothing and instead continued to hold the phone with an annoyed expression. Suddenly the laser blocking their way from moving ahead turned off. "H-h-hey! Looks like you! Only needed to press! Two of them!" The phone let out a click as she hung up. Nemo looked to his side as Frisk caught up to him.

Nemo sighed and rolled his eyes. "Moving on…" He said drily before putting the phone away. He and Frisk continued to walk ahead. As soon as they reached the next puzzle, the phone pinged. "Alphys updated status. That's the last time I try to help with a puzzle lmao." He read. He sighed before analyzing the puzzle. Suddenly the phone began to ring. "Hello?"

"Uh, h-h-hey! I'm going to the bathroom, so I'll be MIA for a bit. I'm… I'm sure you can handle this puzzle yourself!" Said Alphys before hanging up. Nemo pinches the bridge of his nose before turning his attention back to the puzzle.

"Alright… this _looks _somewhat easy." Said Nemo. It was just a pseudo maze of launch arrows. "What's with these glowing tiles?" He questioned as he stepped on a white tile with a glowing red spot next to the arrow. Doing so altered some of the arrows. "Oh…" Said Nemo. This caused him to sigh again. "And thus, this becomes a lot more difficult."

"Should I go first?" Asked Frisk.

"Nah, I'll try to chart a path out, just leave it to me." Said Nemo as he waved off their concern. He then steps onto the arrow and gets sent to the next platform. It takes some experimenting, being sent to the conveyor belt that returns him to the start more than once, going in multiple circles, and nearly falling into the lava below on three separate occasions, but he finally makes it to the other side of the puzzle. Nemo's hands are on his knees and he's panting from exhaustion. "Whew… I… made it… c'mon Frisk!" He said.

"Coming!" Said Frisk. They then step into the puzzle, and they reach him in about thirty seconds.

Nemo does a pretty good impression of Papyrus's bug-eyed face as he looks at them. "H-how?" He asked.

"I watched you." They said simply. Nemo blinks and his eyes return to normal. He can't decide if he should be flattered or embarrassed.

"Let's just keep going." Said Nemo.

"Ok." Said Frisk with a small smile. The two of them continued to walk and found themselves at another star that was floating next to a… microwave?

Suddenly their phone pinged. Nemo pulled the device out. "Alphys updated status. OMG, people think Mew Mew 2 is better than Mew Mew 1? Lolllll that's a joke right…" He read. The fact that he read it in such a flat tone with a completely straight face didn't fail to make Frisk laugh. They continued to laugh as they walked over and placed a hand on the star. Nemo rolled his shoulder, which had taken a hit during that last puzzle, as the feeling of warmth came back.

He then turned his attention back to the microwave. He opened the door to see if there was anything inside, but all he saw was a piece of melted cheese. "Nnno thanks…" He said as he closed the door. "Let's keep going."

"Ok." Said Frisk with a nod.

Suddenly their phone pinged again. Nemo pulled the device out and read aloud. "Alphys updated status. Omg… don't they get it ruins Mew Mew's entire character arc." Again, his straight face the entire time made Frisk giggle. The phone pinged again. "Alphys updated status. My Mew Mew 2 Review: Mew Mew Kissy Cutie 2 is neither kissy nor cutie. It's trash. Zero stars." Now Frisk was outright laughing. Nemo couldn't help but smile at their laughing.

They resumed walking. Only to be stopped right before the next turn on the path by someone shouting. "Hey! You! Stop!" Nemo and Frisk turned around to see two fully armored monsters approach them.

"Ah shoot." Said Nemo as he watched the monsters approach. "Ok, stay calm, when I give you the word, run, I'll distract them long enough for you to get a lead and then follow you."

"...Ok." Said Frisk softly.

When the monsters reached them, one of them spoke up. "We've, like, received an anonymous tip about two humans. One in a striped shirt and the other wearing a scarf. They told us they were wandering around Hotland right now… I know, sounds scary huh?"

"_...Does this guy seriously not know what humans look like?" _Nemo asked himself mentally. "Well, I can't say I've seen any scarf wearing humans around these parts." Which was technically true since Nemo hadn't encountered a single mirror since arriving in Hotland. "So my friend and I will just leave you to your search. Good day Royal Guardsmen." Nemo turned and grabbed Frisk's hand before walking away from the armored monsters.

"Wait, we're gonna bring you someplace safe, ok?" Said armored monster. Suddenly the other monster looked at his partner. "Huh? What is it, bro?" The monster nodded at Frisk and Nemo. "What about their clothes?" He then turned and took another look at the humans. "Bro… are you thinkin… what I'm thinkin? Bummer. This is, like… Mega embarrassing."

"Ha ha… tell you what? You let us go, and we won't tell anyone that you couldn't recognize what a pair of humans looked like?" Suggested Nemo.

"We, like, actually totally have to kill you and stuff." Said the armored monster. Suddenly their souls manifested in front of them.

"Frisk. Go." Said Nemo. Frisk nodded and took off.

Nemo turned his attention to the monsters. "Like, team attack!" Said the first one.

"...Team attack." Said the other one. Suddenly four-pointed stars started flying around. Nemo did his best to dodge, though one did catch his left forearm. Nemo turned and punched the louder monster. His fist was a touch sore because of it, but he could tell that it did actually have an impact.

"Like, perish and stuff." Said the first monster.

"...Sigh." Said the second monster.

"Wait, did you just _say_ the word sigh?" Asked Nemo. This time they used… what were those, carrots? Nemo really couldn't tell, but he did dodge them. This time he kicked the second monster in the stomach.

"Like, give us the soul, brah." Said the first monster.

"...Sigh." Said the second. Carrot things again. Two of them pelted Nemo before he was able to dodge the rest. He then turned and punched the second monster.

"Like, perish and stuff." Said the first monster.

"...Heh." Said the second monster. Ok, Nemo seriously had no idea what those carrot things were. But after dodging them, Nemo noticed that the first monster was distracted polishing his face. Nemo decided to punch it.

"Like, 'you're dead and all'." Said the first monster.

"...Heh." Said the second. Carrots again. Nemo took one to the stomach and the other to the leg, but he was able to keep moving, and punched the first monster, but he tripped up and the punch lost a lot of it's force.

"Like 'you're dead and stuff'." Said the first.

"...Sigh." Said the second. Nemo wasn't able to dodge all of their attack, but despite the hits he took, he managed to strike the second one.

"Like, 'you're dead and all'." Said the first monster uncertainly.

"...What?" Questioned the second. Back to the stars. Nemo ducked under the attack before landing the finishing blow to the first monster.

His partner silently watched him fade to dust before saying, "One…" He then looked at Nemo. "You…!" A barrage of stars came at Nemo, one that he couldn't completely avoid. Nemo wheezed as the hits stopped and the second monster's breathing intensified.

Nemo approached then second monster. "Nothing personal." He said before punching him. The lone monster said nothing as he faded to dust. Nemo turned and walked away, as a gust of wind blew the dust of the two monsters away. Frisk came rushing in and hugged him. Nemo said nothing, instead he clenched his sore fists. He heard the phone ping, telling him that Alphys had probably updated her status again… but Nemo really didn't feel like checking.

* * *

After his decision to ignore Alphys's messages, the duo walked a short distance before finding themselves in a dark area. "I can probably guess what this means…" Said Nemo. Suddenly their phone started ringing. Knowing that this would be important, he answered. "Hey Alphys."

"Okay, I'm back!" Said Alphys. "A-another dark room, huh?" Don't worry! My hacking skills have got things covered!"

"Cool…" Said Nemo flatly. When the lights turned on, Nemo and Frisk saw a giant cardboard cut out to their right with a square hole in the center.

"Are you serious?" Asked Alphys, which confused Nemo and Frisk since they couldn't see anything.

But then a familiar voice made everything clear. "OHHHHHH YESSS!" Said Mettaton.

**Page 24 End**


	25. Chapter 4, Page 5

Nemo grimaced. "Not this again." He muttered.

"GOOD EVENING, BEAUTIES AND GENTLEBEAUTIES!" Said Mettaton from the other side of the cutout. Nemo poked his head through the hole and looked around.

"What _is_ this?" He asked.

"THIS IS METTATON, REPORTING LIVE FROM MTT NEWS! AN INTERESTING SITUATION HAS ARISEN IN EASTERN HOTLAND! FORTUNATELY, OUR CORRESPONDENTS ARE OUT THERE, REPORTING LIVE.!" Said Mettaton. "BRAVE CORRESPONDENTS! PLEASE FIND SOMETHING NEWSWORTHY TO REPORT! OUR TEN WONDERFUL VIEWERS ARE WAITING FOR YOU!"

"...Ten? Like one-zero? That's a little sad…" Said Nemo. He then shrugged. "Whatever, we don't have to play your game. C'mon Frisk." Nemo then started walking away, and weirdly enough, the cut out was _following _him so that he was constantly next to the opening. Nemo didn't get far before the path was blocked by a laser. Nemo gave the laser a flat glare for a few seconds before sighing. "Alright, _fine_!" He said in annoyance. He then turned around to talk to Frisk. "Hey Frisk, do you see anything 'newsworthy'?"

Frisk looked around before wandering over to a box with a bow. "OH MY! IT'S A PRESENT! AND IT'S ADDRESSED TO YOU DARLING!" Said Mettaton. "AREN'T YOU JUST BURSTING WITH EXCITEMENT? WHAT COULD BE INSIDE? WELL, NO TIME LIKE THE _PRESENT_ TO FIND OUT!"

"Ok, I admit that that was clever." Said Nemo with his arms crossed. Frisk then started to open the present.

"ATTENTION VIEWERS! OUR CORRESPONDENTS HAVE FOUND... A PRESENT! AND IT'S TIME FOR THE UNBOXING VIDEO! LET'S FIND OUT WHAT'S INSIDE!" Said Mettaton. As he said that, Frisk finished with the box, revealing a bomb inside.

Nemo's eyes widened in shock. "Frisk get away from there!" He said Frantically as he pulled them away from the box.

"THAT ROUND, BLACK SHAPE… COULD IT BE?" Asked Mettaton." LOOKS LIKE CHRISTMAS CAME EARLY THIS YEAR. IF SANTA GAVE PEOPLE BOMBS INSTEAD OF PRESENTS! REALLY THOUGH. A BOMB. WHAT A THOUGHTFUL GIFT."

"Yeah! If your thoughts were full of blowing people up maybe!" Snapped Nemo.

"THEY EVEN DECIDED TO LIGHT IT FOR YOU! BUT DON'T GET TOO EXCITED!" Said Mettaton. "YOU HAVEN'T EVEN SEEN THE REST OF THE ROOM YET!" Suddenly the cardboard fell away and Mettaton started flying around. That's when Nemo noticed that the rest of the stuff around here was also bombs. "OH MY! IT SEEMS EVERYTHING IN THIS AREA IS ACTUALLY A BOMB! THAT DOG'S A BOMB! THAT BASKETBALL'S A BOMB! EVEN MY WORDS ARE…!" Suddenly words literally started to fall from the sky and explode.

"Geez!" Said Nemo as he protectively put an arm in front of Frisk.

"BRAVE CORRESPONDENTS… IF YOU DON'T DEFUSE ALL OF THE BOMBS…" Said Mettaton as he flew over to a large pink bomb. "THIS BIG BOMB WILL BLOW YOU BOTH TO SMITHEREENS IN TWO MINUTES! THAN YOU WON'T BE REPORTING _LIVE_ ANY LONGER."

"For some reason that wasn't nearly as funny as his last joke." Said Nemo drily.

"HOW TERRIBLE! HOW DISTURBING!" Said Mettaton. "OUR NINE VIEWERS ARE GONNA ENJOY WATCHING THIS! GOOD LUCK, DARLINGS!"

Mettaton then flew off to the side as the duo's phone began to ring. "D-don't worry!" Said Alphys. "I installed a bomb-defusing program into your phone! Use the defuse button when the bomb gets into the defuse zone! N-now, go get 'em!"

"Ugh." Said Nemo as he looked around at the bombs, which were now all flying around.

"Nemo!" Said Frisk as they pointed at something. Nemo looked and saw the dog-bomb just laying on it's side, taking a nap.

"That's a good place to start!" Said Nemo as he ran over. He held up his phone and saw a green zone on the screen. He focused it so the camera had the dog in the green zone and pressed the button. The dog on the screen then turned green, showing that it diffused. "Alrighty then, so far so good." Said Nemo.

"Good job! Try the one down and to your left!" Said Alphys. Nemo looked at where she was talking about and saw the path to get there. After two turns and some laser trickiness, Nemo arrived at the game bomb. It took some aiming, but he defused the bomb.

"Nemo! Conveyor belt!" Said Frisk as they pointed at the conveyor belt, which had a book bomb on it. Nemo moved through the laser puzzle and onto the conveyor belt. He then started running against the belt until he was in position to intercept the book. He was able to defuse this one even faster than the first two. Nemo looked over and saw the present bomb. He took a steam arrow across a small gap and used his phone on it. After an aim and the press of a button, it was defused.

"Two left." Said Nemo as he looked for the remaining bombs. He saw the basketball bomb in front of the pink bomb. Using another steam arrow sent him straight to it. He aimed, pressed the button, and missed. Nemo began to sweat nervously because of how low the counter was getting. He tried again, and this time he pulled it off. "Alright, where's the water bomb?!" He asked as he looked around.

"Good job! I'm using EM fields to trap the bomb!" Said Alphys over the phone. Nemo looked over and saw that the glass was stuck in place. Nemo rushed over and aimed his phone at the glass. With the click of a button, it was done.

Nemo let out a sigh before looking at the main bomb. "Eight seconds to spare." He said.

"WELL DONE, DARLINGS!" Said Mettaton as he floated overhead. "YOU'VE DEACTIVATED ALL THE BOMBS! IF YOU DIDN'T DEACTIVATE THEM, THE BIG BOMB WOULD HAVE EXPLODED IN TWO MINUTES."

"I don't like where this is going." Said Nemo with narrowed eyes.

"NOW IT WON'T EXPLODE IN TWO MINUTES! INSTEAD IT'LL EXPLODE IN TWO SECONDS!" Said Mettaton maniacally.

"Ah… there it is…" Said Nemo flatly.

"GOODBYE DARLINGS!" Said Mettaton.

"Oh no." Said Frisk worriedly.

"Wait for it…"Said Nemo. The three of them waited for the explosion to happen.

"AH. IT SEEMS THE BOMB ISN'T GOING OFF." Said Mettaton.

"Man, talk about convenient, wouldn't you say, _Alphys?_" Asked Nemo as he held up his phone.

"That's b-because!" Said Alphys. "While you were monologuing… I…! I f… fix… Um.. I ch-change…"

"OH DEACTIVATED THE BOMB WITH YOUR HACKING SKILLS." Said Mettaton.

"Yeah! That's what I did!" Said Alphys.

"CURSES! IT SEEMS I'VE BEEN FOILED AGAIN!" Said Mettaton. "CURSE YOU HUMANS! CURSE YOU, DR. ALPHYS, FOR HELPING SO MUCH! BUT I DON'T CURSE MY EIGHT WONDERFUL VIEWERS FOR TUNING IN! UNTIL NEXT TIME, DARLING!" Mettaton then flew away.

"W-wow... W-we really showed him, huh.?" Said Alphys.

"We sure did…" Said Nemo with a flat expression.

"...H-hey, I know I was kind of weird at first…" Said Alphys.

"_Kind of? At first?" _Thought Nemo with a questioning look.

"But I really think I'm getting more… Uh, more… M-more confident about guiding you! S-so don't worry about that b-big d-dumb robot…" Said Alphys. "I'll protect you from him! A-and if it really c-came down to it, we could just t-turn… um, nevermind! Later!" Alphys then hung up.

Nemo gave the phone a flat look before putting it away.

"Let's go Frisk." Said Nemo as he started walking.

"Oh, uh, ok!" Said Frisk as they followed after him. The pair walked down the path, and after a while, their phone started ringing.

"Um… I noticed you've been kind of quiet… are you w-worried about meeting Asgoe…?" Asked Alphys. Nemo said nothing. "W-well, don't worry, okay? Th-the king is a really nice guy… I'm sure you can talk to him, and… w-with your human souls, you can pass through the barrier! S-so no worrying, OK? J-just forget about it and smile." She then hung up. Nemo sighed before putting the phone away.

"Is something wrong?" Asked Frisk.

"There's a good chance that there is. But I'm hoping I'm wrong." Said Nemo.

Frisk looked away for a moment. "...You don't trust Alphys… do you?" They asked.

"I… I want to trust Alphys, trust me, I do… but… something seems off about all this… and it's really starting to bother me… and every question I ask myself seems to bring me back to the same conclusion." Said Nemo.

"What's that?" Asked Frisk.

"Isn't it all a little too convenient?" He asked.

"What is?" Asked Frisk.

"Just watch… the next time Mettaton starts something, Alphys is gonna come in just as our situation seems unwinnable and have some sort of miracle solution." Said Nemo.

"If you say so…" Said Frisk.

"I'm hoping that this is all coincidence and we aren't being lured into some elaborate trap… but I'm not sure anymore." Said Nemo. The two of them stopped in front of an elevator with L2 printed above the entrance. The duo stepped inside. Frisk walked over to the button panel while Nemo waited for them to select the next floor.

"Hey, Nemo…" Said Frisk.

"What is it?" Asked Nemo.

"I'm looking at the options for what floors we want to go to, and I can't help but notice that some of the options connect to elevators we've already used, almost as if…" Frisk trailed off.

"Almost like we could go there from here, but we can't come here from there? Either that's some really bad designing… or we're being sabotaged." Said Nemo. "But _who_ would do that? Who _could_ even be _capable _of doing something like that?" He asked sarcastically.

"...Alphys…" Said Frisk.

"What. A. Shocker." He said in annoyance. "Just take us to the next floor."

"Ok…" They said as they pressed a button. The doors closed and took Frisk and Nemo to the next floor. Throughout the ride, they waited in silence. Once the elevator stopped and the doors opened, the duo exited the elevator.

Wherever they were, it was very different from Hotland. They were indoors, and Nemo could see large gears turning in places. "What the…?" He asked himself. He then shook his head. "It's not important, let's just get out of here."

"Ok." Said Frisk as the duo walked ahead. As they walked, they noticed a spider girl sitting at a table with some baked goods.

Nemo and Frisk stopped in front of her. "Welcome to our parlor, dearies~. Interested in some spider pastries?" Asked the spider woman. "All proceeds go to real spiders~. Check out the webs to make purchases.' The human duo then walked over to the webs.

"It says here that their products cost nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety nine G." Said Frisk.

"Yeah… no." Said Nemo with a flat expression. The duo continued forwards and found themselves in front of another steam arrow puzzle. Then their phone began to ring. "What do _you_ want?" Nemo growled into the phone.

"H-hi, Alphys here!" Said Alphys. "This room is like the room we saw before. There are two puzzles to the north and south… You'll have to solve them both to proceed"

"Oh really?" Asked Nemo. "Why don't you just _hack_ into it!? I mean, it can't be hard for someone as smart as you? Right?" Alphys was quiet. "Right!?"

"I-I really don't like giving away puzzle solutions, but if you need help, just call me, ok?" Said Alphys.

"I DON'T KNOW YOUR NUMBER!" Nemo screamed into the phone, but she'd already hung up. Nemo growled angrily. "That annoying little lizard! She is so _obviously _screwing with us!" Nemo was half tempted to hurl his phone off the edge and into the abyss below. But he knew it would probably be better to keep the device on hand.

"Nemo…" Said Frisk. Nemo looked over at them, and his expression softened when he saw how nervous they were. He sighed and walked over and hugged them.

"Sorry you had to see me like that." He said softly. "It's just that this is starting to frustrate me."

"Yeah…" Said Frisk.

"Now let's just get this crummy puzzle over with." Said Nemo.

"I liked Papyrus's puzzle more, his were fun… even if it was really cold when we were doing them." Said Frisk.

"Heh… they sure were." Said Nemo. The duo then proceeded to travel across the arrows. It only took about a minute before they were at the entrance to the northern puzzle. But then their souls manifested as a Tsundereplane _and _a Vulkin attacked them. Nemo sighed and cracked his knuckles. His first target was Tsundereplane, who he hit square in the nose. The duo then had to scatter as a combination of lava and bombs went flying at them. Once Nemo found an opening, he kicked the Tsundereplane in its nonexistent jaw, which caused it to crash into the jaw and explode. He then jumped around flying balls of magma before punching the Vulkin, who was dusted immediately. Nemo sighed as his and Frisk's souls vanished. Frisk walked over and gave him a comforting smile. Nemo tried to return it, but it didn't really work out.

**Page 25 End**


	26. Chapter 4, Page 6

Nemo cracked his knuckles as he examined the puzzle before him before walking to the control panel and getting to work. One of the first things he noticed was that he only got one shot. So that meant a little more precision would be required. It took some fiddling. More so than the last two versions. But eventually he was able to fire his shot straight through and into the opposing ship. Nemo twisted his head to the side, causing the joints in his neck to make a cracking sound. "Alrighty then, time for the southern puzzle." He said.

"Right." Said Frisk as the duo exited the puzzle room. Nemo looked at the two monsters with _very_ uniquely shaped heads.

"Say Frisk… were those two here when we went in?" Asked Nemo.

"I don't think so." Said Frisk as they looked between them.

"Hm… weird…" Said Nemo as they walked past the monsters. "Doesn't look like they're interested in fighting, so I guess it's fine." The duo made their way through the arrows before reaching the south side. Nemo expected to see a doorway to a puzzle room, but instead he just saw conveyor belts. His gaze then moved over to see lasers. He let out a sigh. "Right… let's just get this over with."

"Yeah." Said Frisk. They stepped onto the conveyor belts, and after some trickiness with the lasers, they were able to get past and found themselves in front of the doorway to the next puzzle room. Just then their phone began to ring.

"Ohoho… that'd better not be who I think it is…" Said Nemo as he answered the phone.

"Hey!" Said Alphys. Nemo had to take deep breaths to resist the urge to smash that phone to pieces. "This um, doesn't have anything to do with guiding you… but… uhh, hey, would you like to watch a human TV show together? Sometime? It's called, um, M… Mew Mew Kissy Cutie…"

"...No…" Growled Nemo.

"Um! Well! That's okay! Said Alphys nervously. "Just thought I'd! Ask! B-but I think you'd really like it! If you gave it a chance!" Said Alphys.

"The problem _Alphys,_ is that I don't like _you_. And you already lost _your_ chance" Said Nemo, who was doing his best to keep his composure.

"O-oh…" Said Alphys as she hung up.

Nemo jammed his phone into his pocket. "Let's go Frisk." He said as he entered the puzzle room, with Frisk close behind.

Nemo glared at the puzzle in front of him for a moment, analyzing it. He solved it almost instantaneously. He scoffed before turning on his heel and exiting the room. "That was impressive." Said Frisk as they followed him, trying to cheer him up. Nemo just responded with a grunt and stuffed his hands in his pockets and kept going. He stepped onto the other conveyor belt and rode it straight back to the arrows.

After some brief arrow antics, Nemo and Frisk were on the right side and were standing in front of the double doors that were not glowing since their puzzles had been solved. They slowly opened and the duo stepped inside.

One of the first things that they noticed was the glowing star. Once Frisk placed their hand on it, causing that feeling of warmth as the duo's injuries healed, Nemo noticed that it wasn't nearly as hot here as Hotland. He proceeded to untie the scarf around his torso and put it back on his neck. He then peered to the far right of the star, and saw that the patch continued into some sort of building. Nemo took a deep breath. "Alright. Let's see what insanity that robot has in store for us next." He said as he and Frisk walked into the building.

Once inside, the duo looked around and saw that the place was covered in webs and had spiders everywhere. "What genre is this?" Nemo asked aloud.

"Scary movie maybe?" Suggested Frisk.

"Ooh, maybe it's a documentary about spiders?" Suggested Nemo as he looked the room over with tired eyes.

"Maybe…" Said Frisk as they continued to walk, making sure not to step in the spider's webs.

"Ahuhuhuhu…" Came a feminine voice, causing both of them to jump. "Did you hear what they just said?" It asked. The humans continued to walk. "They said two humans, one in a striped shirt, and the other in a scarf would come through… I heard that they hate spiders." The humans stopped when they saw that the remainder of the path was made of densely packed spider webs.

"Oh geez… this is totally a trap isn't it?" Asked Nemo.

"Probably." Said Frisk as the duo stepped onto the webs and started making their way across, their progress being slowed down since the 'path' they were on kept sticking to their feet.

"I heard that they love to stomp on them." Came the voice, causing the humans to look around nervously. "I heard that they like to tear their legs off."

"Ugh, I don't know what sicko you're talking about, but it's not us." Muttered Nemo as he continued to slowly walk.

"I heard…" Came the voice. Then from the shadows they saw that spider monster from before, as well as a small army of spiders. "That they're awfully stingy with their money."

"It's you!" Said Nemo in surprise. Then his expression became annoyed. "Wait, did you just call us stingy?" He asked.

"Ahuhhuhuhu…" Laughed the spider girl. "You think your taste is too refined for our pastries, don't you, dearies?"

"Refined!? No, we just couldn't afford your pastries! Those things cost a fortune and a half!" Argued Nemo.

"Ahuhuhu… I disagree with that notion. And I think your taste… is exactly what this next batch needs!" Said the monster.

This caused Nemo's expression to become one of concern. "Wait, what?" Then the souls of the humans manifested in front of them. Nemo and Frisk started to struggle in an attempt to escape, but to no avail. The spider covered her mouth and giggled at them.

"Don't be so blue, my dearies~." She said. She then splashed their with the purple liquid in the teapots she was holding.

"What the…?" Asked Nemo in confusion before he and Frisk were suddenly pulled into the air and placed on thick, purple spider threads. There were three of them in a row. Nemo then noticed that his and Frisk's souls were purple. "Soul magic?" Nemo certainly wasn't expecting this.

"I think purple is a better look on you. Ahuhuhu~." Said the spider girl from her own thread. Nemo growled in frustration as he tried and failed to find a way down, which made the girl laugh and clap her hands. "Why so pale? You should be proud~"

"Nemo look!" Said Frisk as they pointed at one of the other strands. Nemo turned and looked, and saw large spiders crawling on the front thread. He then looked and saw more on the back thread. He looked to his left just in time to see a group heading their way.

"Jump Frisk!" Said Nemo as he leapt to the front thread just in time to avoid the attack. He then jumped back to the middle one to avoid another spider from his left. Nemo then glared at the spider before leaping to the front strand and punching her.

"Proud that you're going to make a delicious cake~ Ahuhuhu~." Laughed the spider, barely flinching from his strike. Nemo jumped back to the middle to avoid a spider from his right, and then to the back to avoid another from the right. He had to jump between two coming from his right and stay still to avoid spiders on the other two webs. He looked and saw that Frisk was avoiding the spiders easily enough.

"Let us go!" Said Nemo as he jumped to the front and punched the girl again.

"Let you go? Don't be silly~." Said the girl. Then came more spiders, which Nemo and Frisk had to continuously jump from thread to thread to avoid. Nemo used the momentum from his jumping to increase the power of his backhanded punch he did to the spider girl. "Your soul is going to make every spider very happy~~~." She said.

"Uhhh, no thanks. I really don't feel like being spider food." Said Nemo as he did his best to keep his balance. He looked over and gave Frisk a flat look. How they were able to keep their balance so well was beyond him. Nemo then jumped around a few spiders before having to move out of the way of… doughnuts? "You weaponized your pastries?" Asked Nemo flatly. "I fail to see how that could be effect- oof!" Then one of the doughnuts hit him in the side of the head. It felt like a rock. "Owww…" He whined as he put a hand on the spot that was hit.

"Oh, how rude of me! I almost forgot to introduce you to my pet~." Said the girl. "It's breakfast time, isn't it? Have fun, you three~"

"...Pet?" Asked Nemo in confusion. He didn't have to ponder it though as he and Frisk had to jump back and forth to avoid more spiders.

Suddenly the other two strands of web disappeared before multiple thick threads appeared above them, creating a sort of ladder. "This doesn't seem good…" Then Frisk screamed and pointed at something below them. Nemo looked down to see a freaky spider/cupcake monster crawling up and towards them, it's jaws open wide and ready to eat them. "Geez! Climb Frisk!" Said Nemo as he grabbed the thread above him. He and Frisk started climbing, unfortunately, nothing is easy, which Nemo learned the hard way as another spider hit him in the face. He quickly shook his head to get it off before resuming climbing. He dodged most of the other spiders. He got hit one more time before the cupcake/spider stopped chasing them. Then the thread ladder, except for the strand they were on, disappeared, and a thread appeared in front of , and behind them. The spider smiled as she poured a cup of spiders.

Nemo was too tired to bother attacking her. "The person who warned us about you…" Said the girl. She paused her sentence as more spiders and doughnuts came at them, but the humans were able to evade them easily enough. As the spider girl tidied up the web around them, Nemo took the opportunity to kick her. "They offered us a _lot _ of money for your soul." She explained as she rubbed her cheek, which looked like it was going to bruise.

"Good for you." Groaned Nemo. He and Frisk were able to avoid the spiders easily enough and while the girl was tidying the web, he kicked her other cheek. He could tell by her glare that she was getting annoyed with him. He didn't feel bad. At all.

"They had such a sweet smile~ and… ahuhu~" Said the girl. More spiders and donuts. Plus a boomerang croissant at the end. Nemo struck them again. "It's strange, but I swore I saw them in the shadows… changing shape…?"

Nemo was interested by this. "_I wonder what kind of monster that was?" _He thought. He and Frisk then dodged some more boomerang croissants before he landed another punch.

"Oh, it's lunch time, isn't it? And I forgot to feed my pet~." Said the spider.

"Ah crud." Said Nemo before he and Frisk jumped away from more spiders. Then the threads went back to ladder mode and her pet started chasing them. Nemo got hit by two more spiders before the girl's pet stopped chasing them and things went back to the three thread style. Nemo put his hands on his knees and panted for breath.

"With that money, the spider clans can finally be reunited~" Said the spider girl. Nemo and Frisk were fast enough to avoid her smaller spiders. But it seemed like they were getting faster. "Haven't you heard? Spiders have been trapped in the Ruins for generations!"

This made Nemo think back to the spider bake sale. "_Oh yeah, them…"_ He thought. Then the donuts came flying, two of which pelted him.

"Even if they go under the door, Snowdin's fatal cold is impassable alone." Explained the girl. Then came the boomerang croissants, which were easily dodged. Nemo ran up and kicked the spider in the ribs. "But with the money from your soul, we'll be able to rent them a heated limo~" Said the girl.

Nemo did his best to avoid the spiders, though one managed to snag him. While she poured a cup of spiders, he took the chance to strike her. "And with the leftovers...? We could have a nice vacation~" Said the spider girl. "Or even build a spider baseball field~" Nemo and Frisk did their best to avoid the attacks, but a donut managed to blindside Nemo. He got another strike in as retaliation though. "But enough of that… It's time for dinner, isn't it? Ahuhuhu~."

"Here we go again." Said Nemo. He and Frisk then managed to avoid a storm of spiders by jumping around before the threads went to ladder mode. Nemo got struck by two more spiders before the pet stopped and the ladder vanished beneath them. The humans descended to the web bridge below, both exhausted.

"You're still alive? Ahuhuhu~" Laughed the girl. "Oh, my pet~ Looks like it's time for dessert~" Suddenly a small spider carrying a piece of paper came running in. "Huh? A telegram from the spiders in the Ruins? What? They're saying they saw you both and… you helped donate to their cause! Oh my, this has all been a big misunderstanding~ I thought you were someone that hated spiders~"

"We're not! In fact I really like spiders!" Exclaimed Nemo tiredly. "I think they're cool…"

"The person who asked for that soul…" Said the spider girl. "They must have been referring to different humans wearing those clothes~ Sorry for all the trouble~ Ahuhuhu~ I'll make it up to you~ You can come back here any time… And, for no charge at all… I'll wrap you up and let you play with my pet again! Ahuhuhuhuhu~ Just kidding~. I'll spare you now~"

"I accept your Mercy…" Groaned Nemo as he laid his head on the ground.

**Page 26 End**


	27. Chapter 4, Page 7

The spider girl took her leave, and after resting a moment, Nemo and Frisk stood up and decided to double back to the star in order to recover. Once healed, they made their way back across the web bridge and into the next area. Frisk and Nemo stopped when they saw a poster for Mettaton's next show. Looked like some sort of tragedy performance. "This can't be good." Said Nemo drily. The duo continued walking and stopped when the scenery looked very different from the previous area.

"OH? THOSE HUMANS…" They heard Mettaton's voice say.

"Oh no…" Said Nemo as he looked around.

"Where is he?" Asked Frisk.

Then Nemo spotted something at the top of the tower next to them. "Up there!" He said while pointing. Frisk followed his finger and saw Mettaton in the top of the tower, which had a fake moon and fake stars hanging next to it. "COULD IT BE…?" He asked, as he stepped into view, revealing that he was wearing a dress. "...ARE ONE OF YOU MY ONE TRUE LOVE?"

"Is this guy for real?" Asked Nemo flatly.

Suddenly music started playing as Mettaton made his way down the stairs and started to move around them. "Oh my love," He sang, " please run away. Monster King, forbids your stay. Humans must live, far apart. Even if... it breaks my heart." Suddenly cherry blossoms started to fall from the nonexistent sky. "They'll put you... in the dungeon. It'll suck… and then you'll die a lot. Really sad… you're gonna die. Cry, cry, cry… so sad it's happening." He then put a hand on top of Frisk's head before wiping away a nonexistent tear from his nonexistent eye. "SO SAD. SO SAD THAT YOU ARE GOING TO THE DUNGEON."

"Wait a second…" Said Nemo.

Mettaton then backed away and pulled out a device with a button on it. "WELL, TOODLES!" He said.

"Oh crud." Said Nemo as he looked down. Mettaton then pressed the button, causing the ground to open beneath the humans. "Mettaton you jeeeEEEEEEERK!" Shouted Nemo as he and Frisk fell.

* * *

Nemo let out a grunt as he and Frisk hit the ground. He looked around and immediately noticed that they were in Hotland again. He coughed as he and Frisk stood up. Then Mettaton descended while still flying. "OH NO! WHATEVER SHALL I DO? MY LOVE AND THEIR FRIEND HAVE BEEN CAST AWAY INTO THE DUNGEON. A DUNGEON WITH A PUZZLE SO DASTARDLY, MY PARAMOUR WILL SURELY PERISH!" Nemo and Frisk looked over and noticed that it was the same tile puzzle that Papyrus had tried to use before.

"Oh no…" Said Nemo as he facepalmed.

"O, HEAVENS HAVE MERCY! THE HORRIBLE COLORED TILE MAZE!" Said Mettaton. "EACH COLOR HAS ITS OWN SADISTIC FUNCTION. FOR EXAMPLE, A GREEN TILE SOUNDS A NOISE, AND THEN YOU MUST FIGHT A MONSTER. RED TILES WILL… ACTUALLY, WAIT A SECOND. DIDN'T WE SEE THIS PUZZLE ABOUT A HUNDRED ROOMS AGO? THAT'S RIGHT. YOU REMEMBER ALL THE RULES, DON'T YOU? GREAT… THEN I WON'T WASTE YOUR TIME REPEATING THEM!"

"I think I remember them…" Said Nemo as he wracked his brain for what Papyrus had said yesterday. "_Wait, was that seriously only yesterday? It feels like that was months ago…" _He thought tiredly. "Whatever, Frisk, just follow me and we'll try to get through." Said Nemo.

"Right." Said Frisk.

"OH, AND YOU'D BETTER HURRY." Said Mettaton. "BECAUSE IF YOU DON'T GET THROUGH IN THIRTY SECONDS…" Suddenly Nemo felt heat behind him. He turned and saw that there was a line of fire behind them.

"Geez!" Said Nemo as he took a step away from the flames..

"YOU'LL BE INCINERATED BY THESE JETS OF FIRE! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! AHAHA… HA… HA! MY POOR LOVE! I'M SO FILLED WITH GRIEF, I CAN'T STOP LAUGHING!" Said Mettaton.

"_This guy isn't very good at hiding his emotions." _Thought Nemo flatly.

"GOOD LUCK, DARLINGS!" Said Mettaton as a weird timer descended from the sky and started counting down.

Nemo's eyes widened. "Gogogo!" He shouted as he grabbed Frisk's wrist and ran towards the tile maze. Frisk onto the puzzle while Mettaton sang, but Nemo didn't listen. They didn't get far before getting stuck in an area that made it so they couldn't leave since the surrounding tiles would either make piranhas chomp them, they'd get electrocuted, or it was those stupid red tiles. "No… no no no!" Said Nemo as he frantically searched for an out.

"Nemo…" Said Frisk as they grabbed his hand and pointed at the timer. Nemo felt his heart drop as the time hit zero.

"No…" Said Nemo as he felt hope fade away.

Mettaton flew above them. "OOOOH, I'M SO SORRY! LOOKS LIKE YOU'RE OUT OF TIME!" He said.

"This puzzle was bogus! We couldn't even get through!" Argued Nemo.

Mettaton ignored him as flames surrounded the humans. "HERE COME THE FLAMES, DARLINGS!" He said.

"Get close Frisk, I'll try to protect you." Said Nemo. Frisk nodded as they moved close to him.

The flames then started to get closer. "THEY'RE CLOSING IN!" Said Mettaton. "GETTING! CLOSER! OH MY!" Nemo held Frisk close as he prepared himself for the end. "ANY MINUTE NOW!" Though nothing happened. Eventually Mettaton let out a fake cough.

Suddenly their phone began to ring. "Watch out! I'll save you!" Said Alphys. "I'm hacking into the firewall right now!"

"Alphys!" Cried Nemo and Frisk as the flames shut off.

"OH NO! HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN? FOILED AGAIN BY THE DOCTOR ALPHYS!" Said Mettaton. There was silence. "THA-"

"That's right! Come on, Mettaton, give up already! You'll never be able to defeat us… not as long as we work together!" Said Alphys. "Your puzzle's over… now go home and leave us alone!" Nemo suddenly felt his relief rapidly turn into anger.

"PUZZLE? OVER?" Asked Mettaton. "ALPHYS, DARLING, WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT…? DID YOU FORGET WHAT THE GREEN TILES DO?" Nemo's anger turned into fear as he remembered the tiles. "THEY MAKE A SOUND, THEN YOU HAVE TO FIGHT A MONSTER. WELL, DARLINGS… THAT MONSTER… IS ME!"

Suddenly Frisk and Nemo's souls manifested as the fight started. Nemo growled as he tried to punch Mettaton. But his attack did nothing, just like before. "THIS IS IT, DARLINGS! SAY GOODBYE!" Said Mettaton. Suddenly their phone began to ring. "IS THAT YOUR PHONE? YOU'D BETTER ANSWER IT!"

"H-hey! Th-this seems bad, but don't worry!" Said Alphys. "Th-there's one last thing I installed on your phone…! You see that yellow button…? Go to this phone's ACT menu and press it!" Nemo looked at the phone and pressed the button. The phone began to resonate with Mettaton's presence.

"OH! THAT YELLOW GLOW…!" Said Mettaton.

Nemo's eyes widened as he saw his and Frisk's souls turn upside down, and yellow. "Woah…" He said.

"Now fire!" Ordered Alphys.

"Fire? What?" Asked Nemo in confusion. Frisk then raised a hand at Mettaton, which caused the tip of their soul to aim at him as well, then a single yellow "bullet" fired from their soul and hit Mettaton. "No way." Said Nemo as he mimicked what Frisk did.

The two of them fired a few shots at Mettaton before he reacted. "OOOH!" He said. "OOOOOOOH! YOU'VE DEFEATED ME! HOW CAN THIS BE, YOU WERE STRONGER THAN I THOUGHT, ETC. FAREWELL!" He then fled the battle. Nemo sighed as his and Frisk's souls vanished.

"L-looks like you beat him!" Said Alphys over the phone. "Y-you did a really great job out there." Nemo didn't say anything. Alphys was quiet for a while. "...umm, h-hey, this might sound strange but… c-can I tell you something?" She asked. Nemo felt like he was about to explode. "B-before I met you… I d-didn't really… I didn't really like myself very much." This made Nemo pause for a moment. "For a long time, I f-felt like a total screw-up. L-like I couldn't do a-anything w-without… w-without ending up letting everyone down. B-but…! Guiding you has made me feel… a lot better about myself. So… thanks for letting me help you… Uhhh, anyway, we're almost to the core. It's just past M.T.T Resort. Come on! Let's finish this!"

Nemo put the phone away. "...Nemo?" Asked Frisk worriedly.

"When I see that lizard, she's toast." Growled Nemo. This made Frisk let out a small whimper. He looked at them out of the side of his eyes. He then sighed. "C'mon kid, let's get to Asgore so we can finish this."

"K…" Said Frisk. The duo walked past the rest of the grayed out puzzle and took a turn. The duo wound up at the Nice Cream Guy's place.

"I thought for sure if I went to Hotland, I'd sell some Nice Creams. But nobody wants them. Everyone's just eating Starfaits and Glamburgers." He said. "So! I'm having a going out of business sale. Hello… would you like some Nice Cream…? It's the frozen treat… that warms your heart. Now only twelve G!"

"Just one, for them." Said Nemo.

"Here." Replied the Nice Cream Guy as he handed over the Nice Cream, which Nemo gave to Frisk.

"Thanks." Said Nemo as he handed over the G. "C'mon Frisk." He then started walking north.

"K…" They said as they started eating the Nice Cream and followed Nemo. The duo stopped in front of the resort. "Nemo." Said Frisk as they bent down and picked up a piece of paper.

"What is it?" Asked Nemo.

"Hey." Read Frisk. "Go up the creepy alleyway on the right for some great deals."

"Seriously?" Asked Nemo with a tired expression. "Obviously we aren't... going… to…" He trailed off as Frisk went down the alleyway. "Darn it Frisk…" He said as he followed them.

"Hey! Check it out!" Said an alligator monster.

"Yeah! Check it out!" Said a cat monster.

"What is this…?" Asked Nemo.

"It's a shop." Said Frisk. Nemo looked around and saw some stuff.

"Can I have this?" Asked Frisk as they grabbed a Cowboy Hat.

"Sure…" Said Nemo. "How much does it… Geez…" He reluctantly handed over almost all of his money.

"Bratty!" Said the cat happily as she handed over the hat. "We're gonna be rich!"

"Yeah, enjoy your money." Said Nemo. "That's all I could afford, we're gonna have to leave now."

"K." Said Frisk as they left.

"Like, see ya later!" Said both monsters. The duo walked out and were prepared to enter the resort, when Nemo noticed something, or more specifically, someone, out of the corner of his eye.

"Sans?" Asked Nemo in surprise.

"_Hey._" Greeted the skeleton. "_I heard you're going to the core. How about grabbing some dinner with me first?_"

"Dinner? Well…" Said Nemo thoughtfully. Then, the sound of his stomach growling made his decision for him. "Dinner sounds nice."

"_Great, thanks for treating me._" Said Sans as he walked over to the other side of the building. "_Over here. I know a shortcut._"

_**Page 27 End**_


	28. Chapter 4, Page 8

The duo followed Sans, and the next thing they knew, they were sitting at a table across from him in a diner. "_Well, here we are._" Said the skeleton. "_So. Your journey's almost over, huh? You must really wanna go home._"

"Yeah… where ever that is…" Muttered Nemo.

"_Hey, I know the feeling buddo._" Said Sans. "_Though… maybe sometimes it's better to take what's given to you. Down here you've got food, drink, friends…_"

"People trying to kill us every five minutes." Said Nemo drily.

"_Is what you have to do… really worth it?_" Asked Sans.

"Sans, we can't stay here. _Frisk_ can't stay here. It's not safe. Not with monsters like Undyne around." Said Nemo.

Sans looked away for a moment before looking back at them. "_...Ah, forget it._" He said. "_I'm rootin' for ya, kids._" He looked away for a moment again. "_Hey. Let me tell you a story. So I'm a sentry in Snowdin Forest, right? I sit out there and watch for humans. It's kind of boring. Fortunately, deep in the forest… there's this _huge _locked door._" This got the attention of Nemo. "_And it's perfect for practicing knock knock jokes. So one day, I'm knocking 'em out, like usual. I knock on the door and say 'knock knock.' And Suddenly, from the other side… I hear a woman's voice. 'Who is there?'_"

"_Toriel…" _Thought Nemo. He exchanged a look with Frisk, who seemed equally surprised.

"_So, naturally, I respond: 'dishes.' 'dishes who?' 'dishes a very bad joke.'_" Said Sans with a wink. "_Then she just howls with laughter. Like it's the best joke she's heard in a hundred years. So I keep 'em coming, and she keeps laughing. She's the best audience I've ever had. Then, after a dozen of 'em, _she _knocks and says… 'Knock knock!' I say 'whos there?' 'Old lady!' 'Old lady who?' 'Oh! I did not know you could yodel!'_" That managed to earn a chuckle from Nemo. "_Wow. needless to say, this woman was exe=tremely good. We kept telling each other jokes for hours. Eventually, I had to leave. Papyrus gets kind of cranky without his bedtime story. But she told me to come by again, and so I did. Then I did again. And again. It's a thing now. Telling bad jokes through the door. It rules._" Sans looked away again. "_...One day, though, I notice she wasn't laughing very much. I asked her what was up. Then she told me something strange. 'If a human ever comes through this door… could you please, please promise something? Watch over them, and protect them, will you not?'_" This made Nemo's eyes widen. "_Now, I hate making promises. And this woman, I don't even know her name. But… someone who sincerely likes bad jokes… has an integrity you can't say 'no' to._" Sans looked away again one last time. "_DO you get what I'm saying? That promise I made to her… you know what would have happened if she hadn't said anything? ...buddies._" Sans closed his eye sockets before opening them again, the eye lights in them now gone. "_You'd both be dead where you stand._" He said grimly.

This made Nemo inhale sharply. "Is that a fact?" He asked.

Sans closed his eyes and opened them again, and they were normal. "_Hey, lighten up, bucko! I'm just joking with you. Besides… haven't I done a great job protecting you? I mean, look at yourselves. You haven't died a single time._" He said with a wink. This caused Nemo to make a face before looking away. "_Hey, what's that face supposed to mean? Am I wrong…? Heh._" Sans then stood up and started walking away. "_Well, that's all. Take care of yourselves, kids. 'Cause someone really cares about you._"

Once Sans was gone, Nemo groaned before running a hand through his hair. "Nemo?" Asked Frisk in concern.

"It's nothing…" Said Nemo tiredly. "C'mon, let's get going." He looked over and saw the exit. "That way." He said as he started walking with Frisk close behind. The duo then found themselves in the center of what must've been the M.T.T. Resort. Frisk looked in a direction before walking over to a glowing star. They reached over and placed their hand on it, causing that feeling of warmth to wash over the duo. Frisk's gaze wandered over to the fountain with the Mettaton statue. They then looked down at what seemed to be an inscription, and after looking at it for a moment, they scowled at it. "Are you ok?" Nemo asked.

"Mettaton altered a memorial and turned it into a fountain. Said Frisk darkly.

"Oh… ok wow, that's not cool." Said Nemo. He looked over and saw an elevator. "_I wonder where that goes?"_ He thought as he walked over to it. Unfortunately, it appeared to be in use. He groaned and rested his head against the metal door. He was exhausted.

"Are you ok?" Asked Frisk as they walked over to him.

"Yeah…" Said Nemo with a yawn. "It's just been a long day is all."

"It looks like they're renting out rooms, maybe we could stay the night?" Suggested Frisk.

"That… sounds like a good idea." Said Nemo as the duo walked over to the desk.

"Yes, we know." Said the monster. "The elevator to the city is _not_ working. Because of this incident, rooms are running at a special rate! Two hundred G a room. Interested?"

"Oh… " Said Nemo as he checked his money. "We don't have enough." With a sigh, he and Frisk walked away. "Guess we're sleeping outside."

"Yeah…" Said Frisk. The duo went out the front doors of the resort and walked around before resting at a spot that seemed clean enough. Nemo sat down with his back against the wall. Frisk sat on the ground next to him. Nemo then wrapped an arm around them and pulled them close. "Do you think he meant what he said?" Asked Frisk.

"Who?" Asked Nemo.

"Sans. About us being dead if it weren't for his promise." Said Frisk.

"Who knows…" Said Nemo as he felt himself start to drift off. "Doesn't really matter does it?"

"No…" Said Frisk as they closed their eyes. "I guess not…"

_**T**__**he Next Day**_

Nemo awoke to the sound of Frisk's voice, but they were speaking too slowly for him to properly understand whatever they were saying. "Frisk?" Asked Nemo sleepily.

"Oh! Nemo! You're awake…" Said Frisk, surprised.

"Yeah… what were you saying?" He asked.

"Uh, nothing important, just talking to myself." Said Frisk nervously.

"Riiight…" Said Nemo before standing up. "Anywho, it doesn't really matter. Let's get going, I saw the entrance to the Core while we were in the resort."

"Ok." Said Frisk softly. The duo then went back into the resort and to the entrance to the Core, with no resistance.

"You think people would try to keep us from entering somewhere as important at this, not that I particularly mind." Said Nemo as he and Frisk went through the double doors. The duo then stopped as they noticed the silhouettes of two monsters. Suddenly the phone began to ring. "Hello?" Asked Nemo.

"Huh?" Asked Alphys in surprise. "Who are they? N-nobody else is s-supposed to be here… oh well! We can't worry about that now!" The phone then clicked as she hung up. Nemo sighed as the duo crossed the small bridge and into the Core. Alphys then called them again. "Ready? This is it! Take the elevator to the top of the Core!" She said before hanging up.

Nemo walked over to the elevator and tried to open it, but it wasn't working. "What?" Asked Alphys in surprise. "The elevator should be working… W-wll then, Go to the right and keep heading up!"

"Something's wrong." Said Nemo.

"What do you mean?" Asked Frisk.

"Everything else we've had to put up with was obviously Alphys's fault, she's the only one with the smarts to reactivate those puzzles, but she sounds genuinely confused about this." Said Nemo.

"You're right…" Said Frisk.

"Well, let's go." Said Nemo as he and Frisk went to the path to the right. But all this path had was a dead end and what was basically an inferno.

"Alright, now just keep heading up!" Said Alphys.

"Um… Alphys?" Asked Nemo.

"...That pit… isn't on my map." Said Alphys. "Forget it! Let's try the left side!" She then hung up as the duo backtracked and went down the other path. Once in the other path, Alphys called them up again. "Okay, you should be able to make it through here…" She said. Suddenly the silhouettes appeared and approached the humans. "W-watch out!" Cried Alphys.

The duo's souls manifested as the Madjick popped out of its hat! Nemo tried to punch it, but his aim was off so it didn't hurt nearly as much. "Alakazam!" It shouted as it summoned weird cross shaped projectiles and fired them at the humans. Nemo tried to dodge, but he did take a few hits. He tried again, landing a better hit. "Hocus pocus." Said the monster. It then summoned a weird eyeball that started flying around, leaving more crosses behind. Nemo did a better job of dodging before landing a hit against the monster. "Hocus pocus." It said again. The eye returned, and Nemo was able to avoid it. He then brought his leg up and kicked the monster away, causing it to become dust.

The humans' souls then returned to normal. "That was close." Said Alphys. "Wh… why are there so many monsters here? I mean… it's no problem, r-r-right?" W-w-we've just got to keep heading forward!" The phone clicked as Alphys hung up. The duo then made their way further into the went forward and around a bend, stopping in front of an electric blockade, with an off button right next to it. Nemo was about to press it when their phone began to ring. "Looks like you can't proceed until you hit the switch." Said Alphys "B-but, those lasers will activate when you do. Ummm… Looks like they'll come in this order: orange, orange, blue. G-got it? Move forward until the third one!"

"Right…" Said Nemo drily as Alphys hung up. He pressed the button, and the lasers came at them. And instead it was two blues and an orange. Thankfully Frisk and Nemo were able to avoid them. ""Alphys…" Groaned Nemo in annoyance before he and Frisk made their way across the bridge.

Once across, Alphys called them again. "Oh my god, are you okay?" She asked. "I… I'm sorry, I gave you the wrong order… e-everything's fine, okay? L-let's just keep heading forward." She then hung up.

"Let's just go." Said Nemo.

"Ok." Said Frisk.

The duo walked only for a short bit before reaching a split in the path. The phone then began to ring as Alphys called them again. "A crossroads… Uhh…" She said. "Uhhh… Tr-try heading to the right!" She said.

"Riiight…" Said Nemo as he and Frisk followed her instructions.

But before they could make any progress, Alphys called them again. "W-wait! No, I think you should h-head to the left!"

Nemo sighed before following her instructions. He and Frisk went down the left path and found themselves in front of another monster. "Crud." He said as their souls manifested. He sighed before rushing forward and punching the monster.

"Good knight." She said. It then summoned a sun like thing and fired light based bullets at them. Fortunately the duo was able to avoid the attack. As the monster smashed her Morningstar, Nemo rushed over and kicked it. "Good knight." She said again. The sun was summoned once more, and had a different pattern of attack. Nemo wasn't so lucky when it came to dodging this time. The knight monster smashed her Morningstar again as Nemo went in for another kick. "Adieu." Said the monster. She summoned her sun again and the first attack pattern rained down at them. Nemo was able to avoid the attacks this time. He paused and looked at the monster, who was quietly watching. Nemo ran over and punched it, but wasn't able to strike as hard. It said "Adieu." again before summoning a moon, causing small meteors to rain at the humans. Three of them pelted Nemo. The knight simply breathed deeply.

"Nemo. I think she's done." Said Frisk. Nemo looked at them tiredly.

"What?" He asked.

"She doesn't want to fight anymore." Said Frisk.

Nemo looked at the monster, and saw that they had yet to act. Nemo sighed as he stood a little straighter. "I'm done, we're leaving." He said.

The night nodded and departed, and the humans' souls vanished. Then their phone began to ring. "Sorry, I… I… I thought that…" Said Alphys nervously. "Let's try the right path instead."

"Whatever." Said Nemo as Alphys hung up.

The duo turned around and went back to the crossroads before taking the right path. They walked a short distance before reaching a narrow bridge with more lasers. Their phone began to ring again. "M… more lasers…" Said Alphys. "Okay, I… I won't mess around this time. I'll just deactivate the lasers and let you through." There was a pause, and nothing happened. "They're… they're not turning off… I can't turn them off, I…" Nemo could hear the distress in her voice. "I-i-it's okay! I have this under control! I'm going to turn off the p-power for that whole node. Then you can walk across." There was a moment of silence before the room went almost completely dark. "Okay, go!" Said Alphys before hanging up.

Nemo and Frisk started to jog across. As they passed a part with a large number of deactivated lasers, their phone began to ring. "W-WAIT! STOP!" Cried Alphys. Just then the power came on. Nemo's eyes widened as he saw lasers come straight at him.

**Page 28 End**


	29. Chapter 4, Page 9

Nemo and Frisk were doing their best to calm their breathing. Nemo stared at the blue laser going through his stomach, but not hurting him. Had it not been for Alphys's warning, he'd probably be in more than a bit of pain right now. "Th-the power…" Said Alphys worriedly. "It's turning itself back on. D-d mn it… Th-this isn't supposed to…"

"Oi." Said Nemo as he did his best to keep his composure. "Watch the language… there is a child present."

"Nemo…" Huffed Frisk.

"S-sorry…" Said Alphys. "I… I'm going to turn it off again. When it turns off, move a little, and then STOP. Ok? Y-you won't get h-h-hurt."

Nemo stared at the phone in his hand. He had no reason to trust Alphys. He should hate her. He- "Ok. I trust you." Said Nemo calmly. The phone clicked off. Then the lights went dark. The duo walked a short distance when the lights began to flicker and they froze in place as the lights came on. The lasers reactivated and safely passed through them. The lights went dark, the humans walked. The lights came back, the humans stopped. Repeat. And then repeat again. Then the humans were on the other side.

Their phone began to ring. "S-see? I've got everything under control." Said Alphys. "Everything's under control!" The phone then clicked as she hung up. The humans then took a left and went north and found themselves at a crossroads with a star. The phone began to ring again. :OK! Y-you should…" Said Alphys. "You should… I don't know? This doesn't look like my map at all… I'm sorry… I… I… I have to go." She then hung up.

Nemo sighed as Frisk went over and placed their hand on the star. He sighed as that feeling of warmth came and went, and their wounds healed. "So, where now?" Asked Nemo as he looked around. He then noticed two glowing signs with words on them. "Frisk?"

"Ok." Said Frisk as they went over to the left sign and read it aloud. "North, the warrior's path. West, the sage's path. Any path leads to The End." They moved to the other sign. "East… The End."

"Spooky." Said Nemo as he checked out their options. "Let's check to the East."

"Ok." Said Frisk as the duo went East. They walked for a short bit before taking a left and found them as another crossroads. There were three new paths to take, though the East one was blocked. There were two more signs. Frisk went over and read them. First was the left one. "To the East. This is The End." They read before moving to the right one. "I cannot fight. I cannot think. But, with patience, I will make my way through."

"A riddle?" Questioned Nemo. Frisk shrugged at him. The duo looked at their options. "Head back, West, or North?" Asked Nemo. Frisk was quiet for a moment before pointing to the West. "Alrighty then." Said Nemo as they went West, not noticing that as they walked away, the laser blockade vanished. Their next fork in the road had paths going North and South, but to the West was only a ledge. On the wall was a sign.

"Get lost… And stay that way." Read Frisk.

"Charming…" Said Nemo. "Right or left?"

"Let's go right." Said Frisk. The duo went right and found themselves at another intersection.

"This is giving me an aneurysm." Groaned Nemo as Frisk walked over to the only sign in the area.

"Traverse the northern room, and The End will open." Read Frisk.

"...North then?" Asked Nemo. Frisk nodded their head. "Let's-a go…" Muttered Nemo as the duo went North. The duo walked and took a right, stopping at a bridge. "That… looks dangerous." Said Nemo.

"Yeah… wait, look! There's a switch on the other side!" Said Frisk as they pointed across the bridge.

"...It said that the North was the warrior's path right?" Asked Nemo.

"I think so, yeah." Said Frisk.

Nemo bit his lip. "Ok. Stay put, there's a good chance this could get ugly." He instructed.

"What do you mean?" Asked Frisk. Nemo said nothing as he cracked his knuckles and began to cross the bridge. He didn't get far as his soul manifested and a pair of monsters, a Whimsalot and a Final Froggit, appeared. Nemo twisted his head to the side, causing his neck to pop before attacking. He punched the Whimsalot first.

"No regrets." It said.

"Woof." Said the Final Froggit. Then a ring of butterflies appeared around Nemo as flies started appearing and flying at him. One pelted him, but he managed to evade the others. The Whimsalot locked eyes with Nemo before he brought his foot up and kicked it. All Nemo could do was stare at the creature faded to dust. "Skip, Jump." Said the Final Froggit. It then started bouncing on the ceiling and walls before crashing into Nemo, who grunted from the impact. Nemo punched the monster in the head and into the ground. "Skip, jump." It said again as it started jumping around again, though this time Nemo was able to avoid it. Nemo clenched his fist and backhanded the monster, causing it to be dusted on impact. Nemo clenched his fists as he resumed walking.

He didn't get far as another knight monster and Madjick like the ones before appeared. Nemo punched the knight first. "Goodbye." It said.

"Please and thank you." Said the Madjick. It summoned an eye that flew around while the knight summoned a sun that rained light down at him. Nemo wasn't able to dodge everything. He jumped back, and since Madjick was closer, he elbowed the hat wearing monster in the jaw. "Abracadabra." It said.

"Farewell." Said the knight. This time it was a moon and meteors from the knight while the Madjick fired crosses at Nemo. He wasn't able to escape that one unscathed either. The knight breathed deeply as Nemo struck it again. "Goodbye." It said.

"Abracadabra." Went the Madjick. They repeated the previous attack and one of the meteors grazed Nemo as he went over and struck the Madjick. "Hocus pocus." It said.

"Adieu." Said the knight. This time it was a combo of the meteors and the eye, which Nemo managed to dodge. Nemo struck the staring knight. "Adieu." It said once more.

"Tinkle tinkle hoy." Said the Madjick. The duo then did a repeat of their first attack. Nemo jumped over the eye as he kicked the Madjick, causing it to become dust.

"Adieu." Said the knight one last time before summoning the sun. It was easy to avoid just the knight's attacks.

Nemo approached the night. "Adieu." Said Nemo calmly as he struck the knight, causing it to fade away. He turned and resumed walking. The end of the bride was just within reach as his soul manifested one more time as he was attacked by a trio of monsters. A Final Froggit, an Astigmatism, and a Whimsalot. He sighed as he started with the Final Froggit.

"Woof." It said.

"...Pick on me." Said Astigmatism.

"I've made my choice." Said the Whimsalot. A ring of butterflies appeared around Nemo as flies and a sort of donut shaped attack flew at Nemo. He wasn't able to dodge all of them, but he was able to finish the Final Froggit off. "Not this time." Said Whimsalot. The other monster had nothing to say. This time the butterflies came at him in lines as the donuts flew around, one managed to tag Nemo, and he tagged the Whimsalot in return.

"Take your last look." Said Astigmatism. A repeat of the last attack came. Nemo avoided it. Then he dusted the Whimsalot. The final monster was silent as it fired more circular attacks at Nemo, who avoided them all. The monster clicked its teeth as Nemo punched it. "Take your last look." It said once more as circular attacks flew through the air. Nemo evaded them before finishing the monster off. Nemo groaned as his soul vanished. He staggered his sore body over to the switch and slammed his fist into it. He then staggered over to Frisk. He was able to reach them just as his knees buckled and he fell to the ground.

"Nemo!" They cried as they did their best to support him.

"I'm fine." Groaned Nemo. "Just give me a second." After more than a second, he was able to stand up. "Let's go, I think I know what that button opened up. The duo then backtracked until they went to where that laser block point had been, only to see that it was gone. "Knew it. Now let's get to the end." Said Nemo. The duo walked through and to another bridge. They started to cross it, but once they were half way through, their souls manifested and another Astigmatism drew near them. Nemo groaned as he staggered over and kicked it.

"...Don't pick on me." It said. It then launched circular attacks at them which they were able to avoid. Nemo prepared to strike again, only to see that the creature had no intention of fighting anymore.

Nemo was silent for a moment. "You can leave." He said. The creature nodded before departing.

"Thank you for sparing it." Said Frisk.

"Whatever… I just want to get out of here." Said Nemo.

"Yeah…" Said Frisk. The duo reached the end of the bridge and found another star next to the entrance to an elevator and a very… flashy doorway. Frisk walked over and touched the star. Nemo sighed as he felt his strength return and his injuries heal.

"I think I can guess what happens next." Said Nemo.

"Yeah." Said Frisk.

"You ready?" Asked Nemo.

"No." They replied.

"Yeah… me neither." Said Nemo quietly. "...Let's go." And together they entered the doorway.

There was a mechanical whirring. The duo walked across the platform to the center area, stopping when they saw Mettaton. "OH YES, THERE YOU ARE, DARLINGS." He said. "IT'S TIME TO HAVE OUR LITTLE SHOWDOWN. IT'S TIME TO FINALLY STOP THE 'MALFUNCTIONING' ROBOT." The humans said nothing. "...NOT! MALFUNCTION? REPROGRAMMING? GET REAL. THIS WAS ALL JUST A BIG SHOW. AN ACT. ALPHYS HAS BEEN PLAYING YOU FOR FOOLS THE WHOLE TIME."

"We know." Said Nemo.

"AS SHE WATCHED YOU ON THE SCREEN, SHE GREW ATTACHED TO YOUR ADVENTURE. SHE DESPERATELY WANTED TO BE A PART OF IT. SO SHE DECIDED TO INSERT HERSELF INTO YOUR STORY. SHE REACTIVATED PUZZLES. SHE DISABLED ELEVATORS. SHE ENLISTED ME TO TORMENT YOU. ALL SO SHE COULD SAVE YOU FROM DANGERS THAT DIDN'T EXIST. ALL SO YOU WOULD THINK SHE'S THE GREAT PERSON… THAT SHE'S NOT." Said Mettaton.

"Story? STORY!?" Demanded Nemo angrily, surprising Mettaton and Frisk. "This isn't some _story_! We're trapped in a world of monsters where we have to fight for our lives every five, freaking, minutes! So, _sorry_ to disappoint you _Alphys!_ But this is some stupid action anime! You're not some helpful hero in our _story_! You're just another lousy antagonist!"

Mettaton was silent for a moment. "WELL, NOW IT'S TIME FOR HER FINEST HOUR. AT THIS VERY MOMENT, ALPHYS IS WAITING OUTSIDE THE ROOM. DURING OUR 'BATTLE,' SHE WILL INTERRUPT. SHE WILL PRETEND TO 'DEACTIVATE' ME, 'SAVING' YOU BOTH ONE FINAL TIME. SHE'LL FINALLY BE THE HEROINE THAT SHE DREAMED OF BEING. YOU'D REGARD HER SO HIGHLY SHE'D EVEN BE ABLE TO CONVINCE YOU NOT TO LEAVE." He said.

"Fat chance." Growled Nemo.

"...OR NOT." Said Mettaton. "YOU SEE, I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS PREDICTABLE CHARADE. I HAVE NO DESIRE TO HARM HUMANS. FAR FROM IT, ACTUALLY. MY ONLY DESIRE IS TO ENTERTAIN. AFTER ALL, THE AUDIENCE DESERVES A GOOD SHOW, DON'T THEY? AND WHAT'S A GOOD SHOW… WITHOUT A PLOT TWIST?"

"Aw crud." Said Nemo.

There was a thudding at the door. "H-hey! Wh-wh-what's going on!?" Shouted Alphys from the door at the opposite end. "Th-th-the door just locked itself!"

"SORRY , FOLKS!" Said Mettaton as the platform lit up red. "THE OLD PROGRAM'S BEEN CANCELLED! BUT WE'VE GOT A FINALE THAT WILL DRIVE YOU WILD!" The platform then started to rise, slowly at first, before taking off into the air like a rocket as music started to play. "REAL DRAMA! REAL ACTION! REAL BLOODSHED! ON OUR NEW SHOW… 'ATTACK OF THE KILLER ROBOT'!"

The humans' souls manifested in front of them, showing that the battle was beginning. Nemo got into a fighting stance. "YES, I WAS THE ONE THAT RE-ARRANGED THE CORE! I WAS THE ONE THAT HIRED EVERYBODY TO KILL YOU!" Said Mettaton as the humans' souls flipped and became yellow. "THAT, HOWEVER, WAS A SHORT-SIGHTED PLAN. YOU KNOW WHAT WOULD BE A HUNDRED TIME BETTER? KILLING YOU MYSELF!" Nemo and Frisk tried to shoot him, but the blasts just bounced off of him. "THAT WORTHLESS PEA-SHOOTER ISN'T GOING TO DO ANYTHING. DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT ACTING IS!?"

"Ugh…" Said Nemo as he realized that they were quickly running out of options.

"LISTEN DARLING, I'VE SEEN YOU FIGHT." Said Mettaton. "YOU'RE WEAK. IF YOU CONTINUE FORWARD, ASGORE WILL TAKE YOUR SOUL. AND WITH YOUR SOULS ASGORE WILL DESTROY HUMANITY."

"Not if I've got anything to say about it." Said Nemo.

"YOU DON'T." Said Mettaton. Suddenly strange box-like objects began to fly at them. Due to their slow pace however, Nemo was able to dodge them. He then heard a projectile fire from Frisk's soul and strike a box, obliterating it. 'BUT IF I GET YOUR SOUL, I CAN STOP ASGORE'S PLAN! I CAN SAVE HUMANITY FROM DESTRUCTION!" Said Mettaton.

"And commit treason in the process." Said Nemo drily. Mettaton then swung his arms, which stretched while boxes flew next to his hands. There was nowhere to dodge. Frisk blasted one of the boxes and ran through the opening it made. Nemo blasted another and followed suit. They did the same thing with his second arm, then he swung the first at them again, there were no boxes, but the arm stretched long enough so there was nowhere to dodge. Frisk shot a part of Mettaton's arm that was glowing, causing it to retract. "Nice." Said Nemo.

Frisk let out a giggle and a grin. "THEN, USING YOUR SOUL, I'LL CROSS THROUGH THE BARRIER… AND BECOME THE STAR I'VE ALWAYS DREAMED OF BEING!" Declared Mettaton proudly. "HUNDREDS, THOUSANDS, NO! MILLIONS OF HUMANS WILL WATCH ME!" He swung his arms which each had a yellow spot on it at them again. This time Nemo shot the spot on one arm, while Frisk shot the other. Then sex boxes with a weird citrcular thing with a plus in the middle flew at them. Nemo and Frisk each shot a box and avoided the attack. "GLITZ! GLAMOUR! I'LL FINALLY HAVE IT ALL! SO WHAT IF A FEW PEOPLE HAVE TO DIE?" Said Mettaton.

"I can't tell if you're evil or just nuts." Said Nemo.

"THAT'S SHOW BUSINESS BABY!" Replied Mettaton.

Suddenly their phone began to ring. Nemo pulled the device out, and in a hushed tone, talked into it. "What the f*ck do you want?" He growled.

"U...uh… I can't see what's going on in there." Said Alphys. "But… d-d-don't give up, okay!? Th… there's o-one l-l-last way to beat Mettaton… It's… um… it's…"

"Spit it out d mn it!" Nemo snapped, at the end of his patience.

"This is a work in-progress, so don't judge it too hard… but, you know how Mettaton always faces f-f-forward? That's because there's a switch on his backside. S-s-so if y-y-you c-c-can turn him around… um… And, umm… press th-th-th-the switch… he'll be… um… he'll be… vulnerable." Said Alphys. "Well, g-g-gotta go!" She then hung up.

Nemo knew that this would probably end poorly, but he was also out of options. "Frisk, do you have any idea how to turn Mettaton around?" Asked Nemo.

Frisk was quiet for a second as they looked away. Then they looked at Mettaton and pointed. "Mettaton! There's a mirror behind you!" They said.

"There's no way he's dumb enough to-." Said Nemo.

"OH? A MIRROR?" Asked Mettaton. "RIGHT, I HAVE TO LOOK PERFECT FOR OUR GRAND FINALE!" He then turned around.

"Right. How silly of me." Said Nemo. "Of course he turned around."

"HMMM… I DON'T SEE IT… WHERE IS IT…?" Asked Mettaton. Frisk then ran over and flipped the switch. The music went dead as Mettaton froze in place. "DID YOU. JUST FLIP. MY SWITCH?" Mettaton flipped around and put his hands on the sides of his head(?) as the lights on his face went wild and he began to shake.

Then there was a blinding light and a similar, but different voice spoke out. "Oh, yes~!" It was pitch dark for a moment before spotlights came down and illuminated a cloud of smoke as music began to play. The humans then saw a human looking silhouette in the smoke. "Ohhh my…" Said the same voice.

"Is that… Mettaton?" Asked Nemo as he squinted at the smoke.

"If you flipped my switch, that can only mean one thing." He said. "You're desperate for the premiere of my new body. How rude… Lucky for you. I've been aching to show this off for a long time. So… as thanks, I'll give you a handsome reward. I'll make your last living moments…" The smoke faded, revealing the most anime looking robot Nemo had ever seen. "ABSOLUTELY beautiful!"

_**Page 29 End**_


	30. Chapter 4, Page 10

Nemo stared. Frisk stared. Mettaton danced. Nemo was doing his best not to just disassociate to the next plane of existence. Nemo noticed a screen in the corner that said "Ratings" and it had a number that was steadily dropping. "Lights! Camera! Action!" Said Mettaton proudly. He then danced at them and started swinging his legs at the duo. Nemo jumped back from the first kick while Frisk ducked under it and out of the way. Nemo dodged the second one before Mettaton moved onto his hands and started spinning on them while kicking at Nemo like a deranged helicopter. Nemo ducked down, avoiding his legs before punching Mettaton. The robot was sent back by the punch and flipped before landing on his hands.

"Drama! Romance! Bloodshed!" Said Mettaton.

"One of those does _not _apply here." Said Nemo drily as Mettaton's next attack flew at them. Tiny Mettaton bots with umbrellas descended alongside more of those circular things. Nemo and Frisk blasted half of them while sidestepping the circular things. Then the remaining bots pulled out these weird heart things with Ms printed on the front and threw them at them. They were able to dodge it easily enough.

Nemo then ran over and kicked Mettaton. "I'm the idol everyone craves!" Said the robot. He then swung his leg at Nemo, but his kick was thrown off when Frisk shot his leg. Four boxes flew at them, but they were avoided. Mettaton tried to kick Frisk, but Nemo was the one to save them this time with a shot from his soul stopping Mettaton's leg. He then charged at him and punched the robot again.

"Smile for the camera!" Said Mettaton with a grin as he stuck his tongue out. He swung his arm at them as five more minbots flew at them. Frisk took care of his arm while Nemo managed to destroy three of the bots. He dodged the hearts they threw, but wound up getting punched by Mettaton's other arm.

Nemo rubbed his cheek before punching Mettaton again. "Oooh! It's time for a pop quiz!" Said Mettaton. Just then a keyboard dropped from above and into Nemo's hands. "Have fun with that keyboard! This one's an essay question!"

Just then the "Ratings" screen changed and had new words on it. "ESSAY PROMPT: What do you love most about Mettaton?" It said. Nemo raised an eyebrow before looking at the keyboard. He rolled his eyes and tossed the thing over his shoulder.

"Speechless…? Who can blame you?" Asked Mettaton. Nemo rolled his eyes again. "Your essay really showed everyone your heart. Why don't I show you mine?"

"What?" Asked Nemo. Just then the heart in Mettaton's stomach detached and started floating around him. "Huh…" Then the heart started shooting lightning bolts at them as more minibots began to descend. "Woah!" Said Nemo as the duo started running. They did their best to fire at the bots before they could throw their hearts at the humans.

"His heart!" Shouted Frisk. "Shoot it!" Nemo looked at them in surprise before aiming his soul at Mettaton's heart and firing multiple shots. He wasn't able to hit it every time, but he landed a few hits. Nemo ran up and punched Mettaton again.

"Ooooh! I'm just getting warmed up!" Said Mettaton. Then came another rain of bots. Nemo and Frisk readied their souls before plowing through most of the horde, save for two. Those two then threw a total of four souls, but the humans were able to dodge. Dodging one of the hearts caused Nemo to jump into the air, which he used to his advantage as he swung his leg and kicked Mettaton. "But, how are you on the dance floor?" Asked Mettaton as he kept dancing.

"What?" Asked Nemo. Just then a large disco ball descended and started shooting lasers at the ground, which Frisk and Nemo had to avoid. They made sure to stop at the blue ones, letting those pass over them before resuming running. Nemo moved around and punched Mettaton again.

"Can you keep up the pace?" Asked Mettaton. The lasers began to speed up and one managed to graze Nemo. He hissed as he grabbed the part of him that was burned before kicking Mettaton in the stomach. "Lights! Cameras! Bombs!" Said Mettaton proudly. More of the weird circular things began to descend at them.

"Those are bombs!?" Cried Nemo in surprise as he and Frisk blasted the bombs with their souls and jumping out of the way of the explosions. Nemo ran around and punched Mettaton again.

"Things are blowing up!" Said Mettaton as more bombs came at the duo at a faster rate, but they were able to handle those without a scratch. Nemo jumped and kicked Mettaton.

"Time for our union regulated break!" Declared Mettaton.

"What?" Asked Nemo as the words "HAPPY break time" Appeared on the ground. Nemo looked at the words, then at Mettaton, who just kept dancing.

Nemo rolled his eyes before punching Mettaton again. "We've grown so distant darling…" Said Mettaton. "How about another heart-to-heart?" He summoned his heart again and surrounded it with boxes to protect it while firing more lighting at the humans. Nemo and Frisk ran around the lightning as Mettaton kept dancing and the boxes flew around, doing a combination of attacking and defending. The humans kept firing shots, and after a bunch of direct hits to the soul, Mettaton's arms blew clean off.

"Geez!" Said Nemo as he dodged more lightning.

"A… arms?" Asked Mettaton. "Wh… who needs arms with legs like these? I'm still going to win!" Bombs and boxes began to fly at them, and the humans destroyed some of them before they all stopped and flew in the reverse order. Nemo and Frisk were able to avoid the debris. Nemo struck Mettaton again. "Come on…!" Shouted Mettaton.

A similar variant of the previous attack came at them, and the duo blasted their way through unscathed. "You can't win, so just give up!" Shouted Nemo as he struck Mettaton again.

"The show… must go on!" Replied Mettaton. This time it was like a rain of death as boxes and bombs came at them. But the humans used their souls to more or less blast a tunnel through the attack. Nemo then ran and kicked Mettaton. "D...drama! A...action!" Said Mettaton, refusing to give up.

Another rain of death, another unscathed escape. "We're not gonna lose to you Mettaton!" Shouted Nemo as he punched him again.

Mettaton smiled. "L...lights… c...camera… enough of this! Do you really want humanity to perish?!" He demanded. The smile faded. "...Or do you just believe in yourself that much?" More bombs descended, and they were destroyed. Nemo moved to the beat of the music as he spun and punched Mettaton, sending the robot back a bit.

"You'd better believe it!" Shouted Nemo.

"Haha!" Laughed Mettaton as his smile returned full force. "How inspiring! Well, darlings! It's either me or you! But I think we both already know who's going to win. Witness the true power of humanity's star!" He summoned his heart again, which now had bombs around it and shot lightning, while he charged and kicked at the humans from the sides. The humans did their best to avoid the attacks, one bolt actually singed the end of his scarf. They blasted the heart so many times it caused Mettaton's legs to get blown off, causing him to fall to the ground. Nemo didn't stop though as he punched the robot. Mettaton was quiet for a moment. "...Then…" He said. "Are _you _the star?" He was smiling as he asked this. This made Nemo pause for a moment. "Can you really protect humanity!?"

Mettaton's heart was summoned once more. Nemo realized that it was all or nothing now. The heart fired streams of lightning, and Nemo ran around to avoid it. Once Nemo saw his opening, he took it. Mettaton stared at Nemo's expressionless face as he raised his fist and brought it down. Mettaton stood there quietly for a moment. "H...ha…" He said. "So I was wrong. Darling… you really are strong enough to get past Asgore." Nemo didn't react, he just kept his fists clenched at his sides. "Well then… it's time for you to go. Don't worry about me. I might seem like I'm dying now, but… Dr. Alphys can always repair me. And… besides… even if I'm not cut out to be a star… I still got to perform for a pair of humans, didn't I? So thank you, darlings..."

Nemo bent down and hugged Mettaton, shocking the robot. "Thank you Mettaton. It was quite the show, y'know?" He said.

Mettaton was quiet for a moment before he smiled sadly. "You've been a great audience!" He said before a loud explosion rang out, along with a blinding light.

Frisk blinked for a moment before seeing Nemo lying on the ground in front of Mettaton's broken box body. "Nemo!" They cried as they ran over to him. He laid there, alive, but injured. He was bleeding from numerous cuts that he got in the explosion. Just then the humans heard the door open as they heard someone enter.

"I… I managed to open the lock!" Said Alphys. "Are you guys… oh my god." She saw Mettaton. She rushed over to her creation. "Mettaton! Mettaton, are you…" She was quiet for a moment before she looked over at the humans. "H...hey… d… don't worry about it… I can always… i can always build a different robot! ...Why don't you two go on ahead?"

Frisk helped Nemo stand up, the duo then made their way out the back door. Nemo was limping due to his injuries. He used the wall to support himself so he wouldn't need to lean on Frisk. "Are you ok?" They asked worriedly.

"I'll be fine, let's just keep going." Said Nemo.

"Ok…" Said Frisk. They took a right when Alphys caught up with them.

"S… sorry about that!" She said. "L-let's k-keep going!" Frisk looked up at Nemo who had a glare on his face. But he didn't say anything as he kept going. "S-so you're about to meet Asgore, h-huh? You must be… y-you must be… pr… pretty excited about all that, huh?" Nemo bit his tongue. "You'll f-f-finally… you'll finally get to go home!" The trio found themselves in front of an elevator. "W… wait!" Said Alphys. "I mean, um… I… I was just going to… um… say goodbye, and…" There was a long gap of silence. "I can't take this anymore. I… I lied to you. A human soul isn't strong enough to cross the barrier, not even if it worked with a second one. You need the power of both a human soul… and a monster soul… If you want to go home… you'll have to take his soul. You'll have to kill Asgore." Nemo staggered towards Alphys.

"Nemo, don-!" Cried Frisk, but they didn't react in time as Nemo's fist collided with Alphys's face, sending the lizard monster sprawling. She gasped and put a hand on her face as she looked at Nemo with fearful eyes.

"You gutless! Manipulative! Lying!" Roared Nemo. "Witch! GET OUT OF HERE! I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOUR FACE AGAIN!" Alphys whimpered before scurrying off. Nemo coughed as he fell to his knees.

"Nemo!" Cried Frisk as they ran to him.

"I could hear it…" He whispered.

"Huh?" They asked.

Nemo looked at them, tears forming in his eyes. "I could hear his soul shatter. Mettaton wasn't just some robot. He was alive, and I held him in my arms as he died." He said.

There was pity in Frisk's eyes as they held him close. "Oh Nemo…" They said softly. Nemo pushed them away.

"Don't. We don't have time to feel bad for me." Said Nemo. "Save it for after we've gotten out of this nightmare."

"Ok…" Said Frisk as they followed him into the elevator. It closed behind them as before taking them to the top.

**Page 30 End**

_**Chapter 4 End**_

**DUALTALE**


	31. Chapter 5, Page 1

Frisk and Nemo looked around. "What… is this place?" Asked Nemo. They had stepped out of the elevator into a hallway that was entirely gray.

"I don't know…" Said Frisk softly as they continued to look, until their eyes landed on another star. They quickly ran over to it and placed their hand on it. Nemo sighed as he felt his pain and fatigue fade.

"Thanks." He said as he stood up a little straighter. The duo then saw that there was only one way left for them to go. "Are you ready?" He asked.

"No." Said Frisk.

"Neither am I." Said Nemo as the duo continued onward. They walked and found a split in the path. To the left was an elevator, and to the right was a lengthy path with a bunch of towers and buildings in the distance. Nemo walked over to see if the elevator would work, but it didn't. It seemed like the thing was in use. "Figures…" He said. The duo went right and walked. And walked. And walked. Then the path they were on took a left, and from then on there was a large gap in the ground around the path, meaning that there was only one way to go. They continued to walk until no more buildings could be seen. They were on a dark, lone path, with nothing but a void of darkness at all sides. Then it came to an end when they reached an entranceway. They walked through it and found themselves in a room. They looked ahead, and saw a strange sight.

"Nemo…?" Said Frisk quietly. "Is that…?"

"Toriel's house." Said Nemo in a calm, but surprised, voice. And it certainly looked like her house, except for one thing. Everything was gray. The house, the walls of… whatever this place was… the leaves on the ground, which had no trees they could have fallen from. There was only one thing present with any color. A glowing yellow star. Frisk placed their hand on it, and waited expectantly. But nothing happened. Nemo looked at them for a moment before turning his attention to the house. He took a breath before walking inside. Frisk followed.

It really was her house. It looked exactly the same. "What is this…?" Asked Nemo.

Frisk looked to the right. "There's something... I want to check." They said. They then started walking. Nemo blinked before following them. Frisk stopped at the first door, which had a sunflower next to it, and entered the room. Nemo followed them. It was a room with two beds. There were two presents on the ground. Frisk walked over and opened one. They pulled out a heart shaped locket. They stared at it for a moment before removing their hat and putting the locket on. They then handed the hat to Nemo. Nemo took it from them and sent it to the second dimension box via his phone. Frisk then walked over to the second box. Frisk pulled out a worn out looking dagger.

"Woah…" Said Nemo. Frisk stared at the dagger for a moment. And then they released their stick, which they'd been carrying this whole time. Nemo watched it clatter on the ground. Nemo looked at it, and then at Frisk, who simply stared at it. He turned and looked at the door. "Let's get out of here… this place is creepy."

"Alright…" Said Frisk softly. They went out the door, and then Nemo noticed a key sitting on a table to their east. Nemo walked over to grab it, but then his soul manifested. He froze in place as two Froggits appeared. Nemo raised his hands expecting another fight.

"A long time ago, a human fell into the ruins." Said one.

"Injured by its fall, the human called out for help." Said the second one. The Froggits then left. Nemo walked over and grabbed the key. Frisk walked past him, and stopped in front of the mirror. They stared at it for a moment before smiling softly.

"Frisk?" Asked Nemo.

"It's nothing." Said Frisk softly.

"Alright…" Said Nemo. The duo then backtracked. They walked for a distance, and just as they reached the end of the hall, two more monsters appeared before them.

"Asriel, the king's son, heard the human's call." Said one.

"He brought the human back to the castle." Said the other. They then disappeared. The humans continued walking. Nemo stopped in front of the staircase to what had been the exit to Toriel's house, but the way was blocked by two padlocks. There was a note attached.

"Howdy! I'm in the garden. If you have anything you need to get off your chest, please don't hesitate to come. They keys are in the kitchen and the hallway." It said. Frisk kept walking into the living room. Nemo followed them. They walked through, and it looked exactly the same as Toriel's house, but there was no fire. Suddenly more monsters approached them.

"Over time, Asriel and the human became like siblings." Said one.

"The King and Queen treated the human child as their own." Said the second.

"The underground was full of hope." Said the third. Then they vanished.

"_What's with this story?" _Wondered Nemo. "_What happened?"_

Frisk walked into the kitchen and came out with another key. They held it out to Nemo, who took it from them. He noticed the look on their face. It seemed… almost lifeless. "Are you ok?" Asked Nemo.

"I'm fine." Said Frisk as the lifelessness faded and was replaced with a smile.

"Alright…" Said Nemo. "We have both keys… lets go."

"Alright." Said Frisk. The duo backtracked to the padlock and unlocked it with both keys. They then descended down the stairs.

They found themselves in a gray hallway. Exactly like the one that led to the exit to the ruins. Just then two monsters appeared before the humans. "Then…" Said one. "One day…"

"The human became very ill." Said the other.

Then they vanished. Nemo and Frisk both stared for a moment, then Nemo began to jog down the hall. "Nemo!?" Said Frisk, surprised.

"Let's go! Something happened! I want to know what's up with this place!" Said Nemo. Frisk stared for a moment before chasing him. They stopped when three more monsters approached them.

"The sick human had only one request." Said one.

"To see the flowers from their village." Said the second.

"But there was nothing we could do." Said the third. Then they vanished.

The humans kept running when two more monsters appeared. "The next day." They said. There was a pause.

"The human died." Said the second one. Nemo slowed down, his eyes wide. Then he picked up the pace.

Two more monsters appeared. "Asriel, wracked with grief, absorbed the human's soul." Said one.

"He transformed into a being with incredible power." Said the other. Then they were gone.

The duo approached a corner when three more monsters appeared. "With the human soul, Asriel crossed through the barrier." Said the first.

"He carried the human's body into the sunset." Explained the second.

"Back to the village of the humans." Said the third. Then they vanished.

"_Oh no…" _Thought Nemo as the hymans kept running. The duo went left. And that's when things were different, instead of a long path forward, it was only about five steps long before it took a right. The humans reached the corner when three more monsters appeared.

"Asriel reached the center of the village." Said one.

"There, he found a bed of golden flowers." Said the second.

"He carried the human onto it." Explained number three. Then they were gone. The humans went right and reached another area with buildings in the background. Then three more monsters appeared.

"Suddenly, screams rang out." Said the first.

"The villagers saw Asriel holding the human's body." Said number two.

"They thought he had killed the child." Said the third. Then they disappeared.

The humans kept moving before three more monsters approached them. "The humans attacked him with everything they had." Said one.

"He was struck with blow after blow." Said another.

"Asril had the power to destroy them all." Said the last one. Then they vanished.

The humans kept running. Then two more monsters appeared. "But…" Said one.

"Asriel did not fight back." Said the other.

" Clutching the human…" Said the first.

"Asriel smiled and walked away." Said the second. Then they disappeared. The humans kept running.

Three more monsters appeared. "Wounded, Asriel stumbled home." Said one.

"He entered the castle and collapsed." Said the other.

"His dust spread across the garden." Said the third. Then they were gone.

The humans ran. More monsters appeared. "The kingdom fell into despair." Explained one.

"The king and queen lost two children in one night." Said another.

"The humans had taken everything from us." Said the last. Then they were gone.

Frisk and Nemo didn't stop. Three more monsters appeared. "The king decided it was time to end our suffering." Said one.

"Every human who falls down here must die." Said number two.

"With enough souls, we can shatter the barrier forever." Said the third. Then they disappeared.

The duo kept moving. Three more monsters. "It's not long now." Said one.

"King Asgore will let us go." Said the second.

"King Asgore will give us hope." Said the first.

"King Asgore will save us all." Said the third. Then they vanished.

The humans were almost there. Three more monsters appeared. "You should be smiling too." Said one.

"Aren't you excited?" Asked another.

"Aren't you happy?" Asked the third. Then they vanished.

But Nemo and Frisk refused to stop running. One last monster appeared. "You're going to be free." It said. The humans stopped running. They were panting. There was a split in the road. One way had an elevator. It most likely led to the other one. Then there was a path to their right. That was where they needed to go. They went down the path.

They came out a doorway into a hall. The floor was checkered, there were pillars on the walls, and sunlight coming in through the windows, painting everything a golden orange color. There was also a glowing star. Frisk walked over and placed their hand on it. They waited, expecting something, but they seemed disappointed when nothing happened. The humans turned and started walking down the hall. They walked for a ways, until they were halfway through. That's when they saw… him.

_**Page 31 End**_


	32. Chapter 5, Page 2

"_So you finally made it._" He said.

"Sans? Why are you here?" Asked Nemo, his eyes were wide with shock.

"_The end of your journey is at hand._" Said Sans. "_In a few moments, you will meet the king. Together… you will determine the future of this world. That's then. Now. You will be judged._"

"Judged?" Asked Nemo. Frisk stayed close to his side.

"_You will be judged for your every action. You will be judged for every E.X.P you've earned._" Explained Sans.

"E.X.P?" Asked Nemo.

"_It's an acronym. It stands for __**execution points**__._" Said Sans. Nemo inhaled sharply. "_A way of quantifying the pain you have inflicted on others. When you kill someone, your E.X.P increases. When you have enough E.X.P, your LOVE increases. LOVE, too, is an acronym. It stands for __**Level Of ViolencE**__. A way of measuring someone's capacity to hurt. The more you kill, the easier it becomes to distance yourself._" Nemo's hands were shaking. "_The more you distance yourself, the less you will hurt. The more easily you can bring yourself to hurt others._" Sans paused as he observed Nemo, who was staring at the ground, his expression blank. "_Now, you understand. It's time to begin your judgement. Look inside yourself. Have you really done the right thing? And, considering what you've done… what will you do now? Take a moment to think about this._" Another pause. "_...Truthfully, it doesn't matter what you say. All that's important is that you're honest with yourself. What happens now… we leave up to you._"

Frisk looked up at Nemo, and then back at Sans, only to see that he was gone. "Nemo…?" They said softly.

Nemo slowly raised his hands so that he could stare at them. His hands were shaking. "What have I done…?" He asked.

"N-Nemo…" They said.

"Oh god… they were right… I'm a murderer!" He cried as he fell to his knees. He put his hands on his face. "I'm a monster!" That's when Nemo realized something. His hands fell to his sides. "No… I'm not a monster… monsters are kind hearted and gentle. They only attacked us on the king's orders, so that they wouldn't be trapped down here! I'm something far worse than a monster." Nemo looked over at Frisk, tears falling from his empty, emotionless eyes. "I'm a human…"

Frisk bit their lip for a moment before wrapping their arms around Nemo and pulling him into a hug. "It's ok, Nemo." They said softly.

"It's not ok." Said Nemo numbly. "I can't believe what I've done… how can you stand to be around me? After what I've done?"

"Because I believe in you." Said Frisk. Nemo's eyes widened. "I know that despite everything… despite the E.X.P, the LOVE you've gained, you're still Nemo. And I know that you are a good person." Now even more tears were spilling. But these were ones of happiness. Nemo returned the hug and buried his face in Frisk's shoulder.

"Thank you… Frisk…" He said.

"It's no problem…" Said Frisk as they continued to hug Nemo. "Now c'mon, let's go." They exited the hug and tugged on his hand, leading him to their destination.

Nemo looked down at them before smiling at them. "Ok!" He said. The duo made their way to the end of the hall, and took a left into another gray corridor.

They walked down the path, and took another right before stopping at a doorway. There was a sign. "Throne Room." Read Frisk.

"This is it." Said Nemo, still holding Frisk's hand. Then Frisk looked over and down another pathway.

"What is it?" Asked Nemo.

"I'm... not sure…" Said Frisk as they walked down the path. The duo passed a golden star that was on the other side of the doorway. Frisk didn't even bother using it as the duo took a right and continued down the path and down a flight of stairs. At the bottom of the steps was a doorway that Frisk walked through. The duo entered, and to their left, they noticed a row of seven coffins, each one with a different colored heart on it. Frisk walked over and read what was printed on the coffin with the red heart. "Chara…" They said before looking at something to their right. Nemo followed their gaze, but he saw nothing. Frisk looked away before releasing Nemo's hand and going back up the stairs.

"F-Frisk!?" Exclaimed Nemo in shock before chasing after them. He saw them back at the front of the doorway, and in front of the star. They looked at Nemo as he reached the top of the stairs. They reached out and placed a hand on the star before entering the throne room. Nemo followed them. It was a dimly lit room with a bed of flowers. And in the center…

His back was facing them at the moment, he seemed to be doing something. All they could see was his horns, his blonde hair, the crown atop his head, and the purple cape obscuring his back. "Dum dee dum…" He hummed. "Oh? Is someone there? Just a moment! I have almost finished watering these flowers." Nemo looked down at the sunflowers that he was watering. The memory of one certain flower made him sick. "Here we are!" Said the king, causing Nemo to look back at him. He then turned and faced them. Nemo's eyes widened at the sight of the goat monster. "Howdy! How can I…" Asgore was cheerful at first, but that cheer faded as soon as he realized who stood before him. Nemo crossed his arms and looked away. "Oh…. I so badly want to say, 'would you like a cup of tea'? But… You know how it is."

"Unfortunately, yeah." Siad Nemo. Asgore slowly walked to their left, before stopping and turning back to them.

"Nice day today, huh? Birds are singing, flowers are blooming… perfect weather for a game of catch." Said Asgore.

"Sure seems like it." Replied Nemo.

Asgore looked away for a moment before turning back to them. "...You know what we must do. When you are ready, come into the next room." He said before walking away. Nemo and Frisk slowly followed. They passed the throne and stopped at the doorway to the next room. Next to it was another star, and next to that… a throne covered in a white sheet.

"Those monsters… they said that there was a king _and _a queen…" Said Nemo blankly.

"Yeah…" Said Frisk softly.

"They never did say what happened to the queen." Said Nemo.

"No. They didn't." Said Frisk as they placed their hand on the star. There was that feeling of warmth again. It made Nemo's stomach churn. The duo turned and entered the room, Frisk put a hand over the locket they now wore. The duo went through the door.

"How tense…" Said Asgore. "Just think of it like… a visit to the dentist."

"I don't think a dentist ever killed anyone." Said Nemo drily. Asgore walked down the path and stopped before a decorated frame.

"Are you ready?" Asked Asgore. "If you are not, I understand. I am not ready either." Asgore entered the doorway.

"Are you ready?" Asked Frisk.

"Nope." Said Nemo. "But… it's not like that's stopped us before." Frisk smiled as they entered the final room.

Before them was a giant wall made out of glowing energy. Asgore stared at it, his back facing them. "This is the barrier." He explained. "This is what keeps us all trapped underground…. If… if by chance you have any unfinished business… please do what you must."

"There's nothing left for us back there." Said Nemo.

"...I see." Said Asgore. "This is it, then." He turned to face them. "Ready?" Suddenly, seven canisters rose from the ground next to the humans. Six of them contained souls. The seventh was empty. Nemo looked at them before looking at Asgore as his soul manifested. "...humans… it was nice to meet you. Both of you."

"One last thing, Asgore." Said Nemo. Asgore looked at him expectantly. "If I die… just let Frisk go… you don't need their soul, and they haven't hurt anyone. I doubt they ever will…"

"..." Asgore was quiet for a moment. "Very well… goodbye." From his cape, Asgore pulled out a large trident and stabbed it into the ground. He then pulled it out and held it as he stared at Nemo, his eyes obscured by a shadow.

Asgore then put his spear in the ground once more before waving his hands, summoning flames to attack Nemo. He did his best to avoid them, but one struck his chest. It burnt. Nemo slid back from the attack before striking Asgore. Then flames rained down. Nemo tried to avoid them, but he wasn't lucky. He hissed as the flames tore a hole in the shoulder of his shirt.

"Nemo!" Cried Frisk. Nemo ran up and kicked Asgore. Few flames from before rained down. "Nemo, dodge left!" Shouted Frisk.

"What?" Asked Nemo as he stepped to his left just in time to dodge a large burst of flames.

"Go right!" Shouted Frisk. Nemo did as he was told and avoided a burst of fire from the left. Nemo avoided the worst of it, but some of Asgore's attack still struck him. Nemo punched the king again. Asgore's entire face became cloaked in a shadow. His right eye glowed blue, than his left. Asgore raised his trident as it turned blue. He swung at Nemo from the left, and then the right. Nemo froze in place, letting the attack go through without hurting him. Nemo kicked Asgore again. Asgore swung his hand, causing flames to appear from different directions at different times and all fly straight at Nemo. He did his best to avoid them, but he would still get caught by some fire once in a while.

Nemo struck Asgore again. Rings of fire with only one opening started appearing and closing in on Nemo. Fortunately he was able to get through the attack without getting singed. Nemo landed another decisive strike before a rain of flame came bearing down. Nemo avoided almost all of it, before taking a hit by one of the last fire balls. He struck Asgore again. His face was covered in a shadow before his eyes glowed again. Orange right, blue left, orange right. The trident came at him in that order with those colors. Nemo punched Asgore, resulting in a rain of fire. Nemo was struck twice by it. He kicked Asgore back.

Fireballs appeared at all sides at different times and homed in on Nemo. He managed to avoid the attack. He kicked Asgore. Now it was rings of fire again. Nemo managed to get through. He jumped and kicked Asgore. The king's face became covered by a shadow. His right eye glowed orange, then his left, then his right eye became blue. Nemo avoided the following trident attacks before punching Asgore. Flames rained down and one of them struck him. Nemo was filled with immense pain and in that moment, it felt like his soul would shatter, but Nemo glared as he remained steadfast. He didn't plan on dying. He punched Asgore again. The minor fire rain came again, and Nemo knew what this meant.

"Go right!" Shouted Frisk. Nemo avoided the major burst to the left. "Left!" They said. Nemo dodged again. "Right!" They said. Nemo avoided the flames. It was the flame rings again, but Nemo managed to get through. Nemo slammed his elbow into Asgore's jaw. His face became shadowed once more. Right eye became orange, followed by them both being blue. Nemo got through the attack unhurt. He struck Asgore, and had to deal with even more fire rain. He moved through the attack, sidestepping all of it.

He struck Asgore, leading to the minor fire rain. "Right!" Shouted Frisk. Nemo avoided the flames to his left. "Stay right!" Another burst came from the left. "Now left!" Nemo jumped away from a burst of flames to the right. "Right again. Nemo rolled away from a burst of flames on the left. He got to his feet and struck Asgore. More flame rings, the first was slow, and each one got faster. Nemo got through, but more of his scarf got singed off. He hit Asgore again. His face went dark as both eyes flashed blue before the right one went blue again. Nemo stayed still, avoiding all three blue trident attacks.

Fireballs appeared at all directions and homed in on Nemo. He sidestepped, ducked under, and jumped over, all of them. He struck Asgore again. This led to even more fire rings. They were starting to become ridiculously fast. Nemo was running out of gas. He wasn't sure how much was left in him. One more solid strike and he was probably toast. He let out a shout as he struck Asgore's chest with everything he had. He ignored the sounds of the bones in his hand cracking as he focused on the sight of Asgore's armor cracking. The king coughed as he fell to one knee.

"Ah…" He said. "...So that is how it is… I remember the day after my son died. The entire underground was devoid of hope. The future had once again been taken from us by the humans. In a fit of anger, I declared war. I said that I would destroy any human that came here. I would use their souls to become godlike… and free us from this terrible prison. Then, I would destroy humanity… And let monsters rule the surface, in peace. Soon, the people's hopes returned. My wife, however, became disgusted with my actions. She left this place, never to be seen again. Truthfully… I do not want power. I do not want to hurt anyone. I just wanted everyone to have hope… But… I cannot take this any longer. I just want to see my wife. I just want to see my child. Please… young one… this war has gone on long enough. You have the power… take my soul, and leave this cursed place."

Nemo clenched his fist as he raised his good hand. He remembered everything that brought them to this point. "Nemo…" Said Frisk. Nemo grit his teeth as he brought his fist down.

**Page 32 End**


	33. Chapter 5, Page 3

Frisk stared at them in shock. Nemo's fist was inches away from Asgore's face. All it would have taken was one strike, and he would be dead. "I… I can't." Said Nemo.

"Nemo?" Asked Frisk.

He lowered his fist, and clenched his other as both of them shook at his sides. "I can't kill him. I don't _want _to kill him." Said Nemo as he turned over and looked at Frisk, letting them see his face as more tears formed in his eyes.

Asgore was at a loss for words. "...After everything I have done to hurt you… you would rather stay down here and suffer… than live happily on the surface?" He asked.

"I don't deserve to be happy…" Said Nemo. "And I don't think Frisk could be happy knowing what I had to do to get them out of here."

Asgore was silent for a moment as he smiled sadly. "...Humans… I promise you… for as long as you remain here… my wife and I will take care of you as best we can." He said. "We can sit in the living room, telling stories… eating butterscotch pie… we could be like… like a family…"

Nemo smiled at him, and looked over at Frisk, who was smiling as well. "I think we'd like that." He said.

Then everyone's eyes widened as Asgore was surrounded by friendliness pellets. Nemo tried to dash forward to help Asgore, but he was too late as they all struck the king. All Nemo could do was watch his dust fall to the ground. The duo saw Asgore's soul, and then they watched as one last pellet struck it and caused it to shatter. Then they saw Flowey pop out of the ground. "_You _idiot." He said. "_You haven't learned a thing._" Suddenly the six human souls started floating around him. "_In this world… it's _kill_, or _be _killed_" Flowey's face got all melty as he began to laugh and the souls floated towards him.

"No!" Shouted Nemo as he tried to stop him. BUt he was too late as everything faded into white.

* * *

They looked around. It was dark. There was nothing there. Not a speck of light, and yet they could see each other clearly. It was just a void of black. "What… is this place?" Asked Nemo.

"We're in Flowey's world now." Said Frisk calmly.

"...What?" Asked Nemo. Frisk turned around and looked at something. It was a star. They started walking towards it. Nemo followed them, still confused. Frisk placed their hand on the star and looked up at something that Nemo couldn't see. Then there was a weird thudding sound followed by the sound of shattering. Suddenly an enlarged version of Flowey's face appeared before the duo. His face was then replaced by a square of static for a moment before returning.

"_Howdy! It's me, _Flowey_._" He said, his face occasionally glitching out. "Flowey _the _flower_! I owe you a _huge _thanks. You really did a number on that old fool. Without you, I _never _could have gotten past him._"

This made Nemo glare. "Listen here you little weed…" He growled.

Flowey's face then shifted, becoming a black and white version of Asgore's. "_But now, with _your _help…_" The imitation then began to melt, grossing out both humans who were present. "_He's _dead_._" His face then turned into one of his more malicious, smiling ones. "_And I've got the human souls!_" They could hear the sound of laughter as Flowey's face disappeared for a moment.

"_Boy!_" He said as his face returned, still occasionally being replaced by static. "_I've been empty for so long… it feels great to have a soul inside me again. Mmm, I can feel them wriggling…_" This caused Nemo to internally gag. "_Aww, you two are feeling left out, aren't you?_" He asked.

"Not particularly…" Said Nemo.

"_Well, that's just perfect._" Said Flowey. "_After all, I only have six souls. I still need one more… before I become GOD._" Nemo's eyes widened as he remembered something Undyne had told him. That if Asgore had obtained seven souls, he would become a god. And now, Flowey was one soul short of completing the set. Flowey's face began to shift and become more terrifying. "_And then, with my newfound powers… Monsters. Humans. Everyone. I'll show them the _real _meaning of this world._" He said as his face vanished again, and laughter could be heard.

"_Oh, and forget about escaping to your old Save File._" Said Flowey as he reappeared. "_It's gone _forever_._"

"Save… File?" Asked Nemo as he looked between Frisk and Flowey. But it didn't seem like either of them was going to give him any context.

"_But don't worry._" Said Flowey. "_Your old friend Flowey… has worked out a replacement for you! I'll Save over your own death. So you can watch me tear you to bloody pieces… over, and over, and over…_"

"I'm not gonna let that happen." Said Nemo.

"_...What? Do you really think you can stop _me_?_" Asked Flowey incredulously. "_Hee hee hee… you really _are _an idiot._"

His face vanished as the humans' souls manifested. They then saw the other six souls manifest in the air and fly into the sky. The entire area they were in was suddenly drowned in a red flashing light that'd probably trigger a seizure as the dark silhouette of… something, descended from the… sky? Ceiling? Nemo still wasn't even sure where this place was. Suddenly a white rectangular screen with a smiley face on it appeared. It's smile broadened into a grin. And it's eyes widened, becoming red and green. The red light faded, revealing the creature's true form.

Omega Flowey let out a distorted laugh that shook Nemo to his very soul.

From it's upper eyes it created four pointed star bullets and launched them in triplets at the humans. Frisk and Nemo ran around, trying to avoid the attacks, but they were pelted multiple times. Then Flowey created flamethrowers near his arms and started shooting fire at them, and it burnt. Nemo realized that he had said he wasn't gonna let Flowey kill them, but he was now realizing that he didn't really have a way to hit that freak in any way that would hurt him from down here. More star bullets came flying at them from the upper eyes, the humans did a slightly better job of avoiding the attack. Suddenly thin vine hands came flying at them, and they were able to avoid most of them while only being grazed by a few. A different star pattern came from his upper eyes, which the humans avoided by running to the center, only to be blasted by a laser from Flowey's mouth. Frisk stumbled to the ground, Nemo ran over to help them, only to be toasted alive by Flowey's flames.

Nemo groaned as he fell to the ground. He watched as his soul shuddered for a moment before shattering. He groaned as his head dropped to the ground, and he died.

* * *

Nemo looked around. He saw Frisk standing next to him, a look of terror on their face. Nemo looked up to see the silhouette of Omega Flowey descending once more. "I'll Save over your own death. So you can watch me tear you to bloody pieces… over, and over, and over…" Nemo's eyes widened as he remembered Flowey's words. His eyes widened as Flowey laughed. He realized what he had meant. Frisk was no longer the one who could rewind time. Flowey was the one in control now. Frisk took his hand in their own. Nemo looked at them and smiled. He couldn't give up. It was fighting time, and this time he was determined to win.

He was expecting the triplet star pattern again, but Frisk pushed him out of the way just in time for a circle of friendliness pellets to appear where they were standing and fly into where they had been, and continue on their paths flying outwards, more circles repeating the process. That was when Nemo realized that their foe was unlike the others. He remembered what happened each time, so he wasn't going to repeat the same action. This was going to be harder than he thought.

Case in point when more vines came at them. Frisk and Nemo scattered, splitting up to divide the vines' attention. They continued to run around, ducking around the vines as they shot past them.

Nemo turned his attention away from Frisk just in time to skid to a stop and backpedal away from the flames as they started shooting streams of fire at him. His back wound up colliding with Frisk's; the duo looked at each other before looking at the flames approaching them. Nemo grabbed Frisk and dived out of the way, just in time to avoid being hit.

Nemo looked up and pushed Frisk out of the way before rolling to avoid even more vines, these ones being more focused on him. He raised his arms as one vine struck him and sent him through the air.

He rolled and stood up just in time to see pellets manifest and fly at him. He ducked down and dived to the side. He shot a quick glance over to see Frisk handling themself well enough. Nemo continued to run around and avoid the pellets.

He then turned and ran as he noticed the flamethrowers appeared. He did a baseball slide, going under the flames before punching the flamethrower, altering its trajectory so that it shot fire at Flowey, burning him instead. Flowey screeched because of this.

He used his upper eyes to glare at Nemo and summoned star bullets that flew in triplets at him. Nemo sidestepped the attack, smirking as he started to get into the groove of this fight.

"Nemo! Look out!" Cried Frisk. Nemo looked up just in time to see a mass of blue energy form in Flowey's mouth as he fired a laser at the human. Nemo used his arms to shield his face as the laser pumped him straight into the floor. Nemo let out a choking sound as he tried to stand up.

Just then star bullets came flying from his lower eyes in the widespread fashion. Frisk ran over and tackled Nemo out of the way of the attack and into a safer spot.

Once the bullets stopped, Nemo tried to stand up, only for Frisk to let out a cry of alarm before pushing him out of the way of another friendliness bullet circle. "Deja vu." He groaned as Frisk helped him avoid the attacks. "How are you this strong? Seriously? You're pushing a guy who's probably one and a half times your weight around like it's no big deal.

"It is a big deal." Gasped Frisk tiredly. "You're not easy to move." The duo started sidestepping as the lower eyes fired another widespread array of bullets. Just then they heard a strange sound. They looked at Flowey's TV face to see it replaced with the word "Warning" and it had the cyan soul beneath it. Then everything went black.

_**Page 33 End**_


	34. Chapter 5, Page 4

"...The heck...?" Asked Nemo as he and Frisk watched a bunch of knives that looked shockingly similar to that toy knife they found in the ruins spin through the air around them. Suddenly they started to move. The humans tried to back away, but they were getting closer. Then Frisk looked over and noticed an open space.

"This way!" They cried as they rushed past the knives, occasionally getting cut. Nemo followed them, also taking a few hits from the knives. Frisk reached the open spot, and as soon as they did, they cupped their hands around their mouth and cried out for help.

"Who are you calling for?" Asked Nemo in confusion as he and Frisk continued to avoid the knives. Suddenly they all kind of just, froze in mid air. The knives all turned into green bandages that flew straight into the humans, and healed them. "No way…" Said Nemo as he watched his wounds vanish. Suddenly Omega Flowey's tv face went staticy before his face, as well as the rest of his body, reappeared.

More vines came down at the duo, but they jumped away from each other to avoid the attack and then ran around, avoiding the onslaught.

Flowey then summoned these three plant... snake… things… with giant mouths for faces… that came down on the humans, ricocheting of walls as they tried to rip the humans apart. Nemo sidestepped one, only for another to slam into his back. Nemo staggered, but he didn't fall. He and Frisk continued to avoid the attacks until they flew out of view.

Flowey then descended one of his cactus arms, the hand of which transformed into a venus flytrap. There was wind as the trap began to function like a vacuum. "Watch out!" Shouted Frisk. Nemo looked over his shoulder just in time for a giant fly to pelt him in the face. Nemo rubbed his sore cheek before more flies came flying. They were easy enough for the duo to dodge.

Flowey summoned back those plant snakes. The humans ran around, doing their best to avoid the snakes. Nemo noticed that one was about to crash into Frisk, so he charged over and tackled them out of the way, while also shifting his weight so that they'd fall on him when they hit the ground. They avoided the snake, but another came their way. Nemo held Frisk close as he rolled both of them out of the way. "Thanks." Said Frisk as they stood up and the snakes flew away.

"Don't mention it." Said Nemo as they looked around for the next attack. Suddenly something fell, causing an explosion of fire. The duo looked up to see Flowey summoning freaking nukes to drop on them. "Is this guy insane!?" Demanded Nemo as they started running, avoiding the nukes while occasionally being burnt by the explosions.

They didn't even have much time to react when the bombs stopped and were replaced with more vines. Nemo leans to the left and raises his arm just in time for a mass of vines to fly under it. He then stepped to the right and ducked, avoiding more vines.

Then the explosions started back up. Nemo jumped back just in time to avoid another bomb from crushing his skull and incinerating him. He continued jumping backwards and avoiding more bombs. He skidded to a halt and jumped forward just in time to avoid another bomb. Then the sound of static was heard. He looked up to see Flowey's face replaced with the word "warning" and the orange soul.

Everything was black for a moment before Flowey used rings of what looked like the tough gloves that move around the area downward. The groups of gloves slowly spun clockwise or counter-clockwise, and all the groups of gloves reached outward and inward at certain times. Frisk and Nemo were able to evade all the gloves by moving through them during their outward intervals. Frisk then looked over to a ring where one of the gloves was missing. They avoided the attacks and ran to the area, once they reached it, they called out for help.

The gloves took a moment to react before turning green, and all doing thumbs up. Frisk and Nemo were able to catch a few hands before Flowey's face returned to the tv, and the rest of his body reappeared.

Flowey fired star bullets from his eyes while summoning vines at the same time. The duo were grazed by some of the bullets, but otherwise they were fine. They moved to their right as more bullets came, but the next thing they knew, they were standing directly in front of Flowey and being struck a few times.

Flowey summoned vines at them, which they dodged to the right to avoid, only for them to suddenly be back at where he stood, using the attack again, this time they dodged to their right. "What is going on!?" Demanded Nemo.

"He's reloading us into attacks!" Said Frisk. They continued this pattern of attack, reload, and attack again for a short time, but the humans eventually adapted to his tricks. Next thing they knew, his face was replaced by the blue soul and the word "warning"

Everything went black before the duo found themselves beneath a line of five pointed star bullets. Nemo had to duck a little to avoid getting his head taken off.

He looked over to see ballet shoes going above and below the stars in a random pattern. He and Frisk moved back and forth to avoid the shoes, and they both noticed an opening, they tried to reach it, but just as they did, everything vanished and Flowey reappeared. He began to drop more bombs on them. Nemo jumped back and shielded his face from some of the flames.

Just as he lowered his arms, Flowey's fine hands ran him through. Nemo coughed up some blood before dropping to the ground. He watched helplessly as Frisk suffered a similar fate. He groaned as the world went black and his soul shattered.

* * *

Flowey stood above them once more, laughing. The vines and bullet stars descended on them. They knew his reset ricks now, and they were ready for it. Granted they couldn't avoid everything, but they still managed to get through with relatively minimal injuries. And now it was time to face the blue soul again.

Everything went dark, Nemo ducked down to avoid the stars as the duo charged straight through the shoes. Once they reached for the open spot, Frisk called out for help. It took a moment, but the shoes eventually froze in place. They then rose up as the stars became green music notes. The humans quickly collected the notes and healed themselves.

Then Flowey returned. His lower eyes fired off the widespread star bullets. Frisk and Nemo ran, jumped, ducked, and dodged the attacks.

Then came the flamethrowers. One burst of flame singed off the tips of Nemo's hair, but otherwise they were able to dodge the attacks.

Then came the friendliness pellet circles. The humans weren't as lucky as they took a few hits.

And then those snake plants came back, bouncing around while the lower eyes fired more star bullets. They tried to avoid the attacks, but the bullets continued to tear through them, and just when they thought they were in the clear, another laser blasted their souls into dust.

* * *

Flowey laughed as he brought the humans back and the chaos continued. Flowey grew plant stems with finger guns at the end that shoot from the left and right. Flowey's face was on the ends of the fingers. Frisk and Nemo did their best to dodge.

Then the bombs started descending, the humans were blown around by the attack.

More star bullets tore through them.

The snake plans flew around and crashed into them.

Flowey burnt them to death.

Then he reloaded again.

* * *

This was becoming tedious to say the least. Flowey just kept on laughing. He fired more star bullets from his upper eyes in triplets. Frisk and Nemo ran around separately to divide his attention and avoid the attack.

Flowey changed gears to the flamethrowers. The humans ducked under them to avoid being torched.

The plant snakes returned. They bounced around. Nemo growled as he jumped to the side to avoid one, straight up kicking the thing, causing it to bounce away from him.

The vines returned, trying to skewer the humans once more. Nemo leapt into the air, avoiding them as they flew under him, while Frisk slid across the ground, safely dodging the attack.

The upper eyes fired more star bullets. Frisk and Nemo ran around, evading his onslaught.

The finger guns made their comeback. They duo ducked and jumped to the sides to avoid the attack. Nemo actually felt one graze his face, which was not a pleasant feeling.

Then the tv face read the word "warning while the purple soul appeared. The world went black.

Two rows of giant notebooks floated to the humans left and right. The books then started firing words, like, physical words, at them, all the words having negative meanings. The humans ran and avoided the words. Soon Frisk found an open spot, and ran to it, with Nemo close behind. Once they were in the clear, they called out for help. The words floated for a moment before turning green and becoming positive words. The humans touched the words and had their wounds healed.

Flowey returned. He used more of his save and loading shenanigans to slow the humans down. But his tricks weren't enough, they kept running, avoiding the attacks. They didn't get through unscathed, but Flowey wasn't able to kill them either. Soon enough, it was time for the fifth soul, the green one. The duo watched it appear on the screen alongside the word "warning" before everything went dark.

There were three massive frying pans floating above the humans. They started shaking before tossing fireballs into the air which dropped down at them. They ran around, avoiding the flames, or most of them anyway, until there was an opening under the middle pan which Frisk took advantage of. The duo ran under and as soon as it was clear, Frisk cried out for help. It took a moment to get a response, but then the frying pans started dropping green fried eggs on the humans.

"All we need is some ham to go with this." Said Nemo as he and Frisk grabbed at the eggs, their wounds becoming healed.

Flowey returned. His lower eyes fired their widespread pattern of star bullets, but the humans managed to evade him.

Then his mouth opened as he charged up to fire his beam, but the duo were able to jump away from his blast.

Flowey began summoning bombs to drop. SOme of the explosions singed Nemo and Frisk, but they weren't anywhere close to losing.

The upper eyes began firing the triplets of star bullets, but the humans could avoid his assault by running around.

Flowey transitioned into his widespread attack from his lower eyes once more. The humans ran from his attacks, and straight at the flamethrowers he summoned. Frisk and Nemo worked together, each grabbing the ends of one of the flamethrowers and redirecting them to burn Flowey instead.

He screeched as he retracted the flamethrowers. His tv face was then replaced with the word "warning" as the yellow soul was shown on it, and everything went black once more.

Flowey summoned a revolver, much like the one that was in that shop right next to the resort. The revolver started firing bullets in bursts of three at them, the humans ran around, doing their best to avoid the attack. Just then, Frisk found a spot to run to, they stopped and called out for help. The gun fired bullets a few more times before switching to firing green four leaf clovers. Frisk and Nemo took what they could get, their injuries healing.

And Flowey didn't return. There was a feeling of tranquility. The souls descended from the tv and began to float around them. Nemo and Frisk watched in awe. Then they began to fire their healing attacks at them. "The souls… they're helping us." Said Frisk.

"Incredible." Said Nemo as he felt his strength return and his pain fade. Then they turned their attention to Flowey as he reappeared.

"HIs defenses have been dropped, you can beat him." Said Frisk." Go! I'll draw his fire!"

"You sure?" Nemo asked.

"Yeah." Said Frisk with a determined look.

"Well alrighty then." Said Nemo as he cracked his knuckles. They charged. Flowey focused his attacks on Frisk whie Nemo leaps and climbed onto one of his arms. Flowey tried to kill Frisk first, thinking that Nemo would stop to protect them, but he didn't. Nemo knew that someone else had their back. More healing attacks would fire alongside Flowey's harmful ones, and Frisk did take a lot of hits, but the damage would keep being undone.

Nemo kept climbing. He moved up Flowey's arm and jumped, grabbing the gray vines around his eyes and mouth before climbing up and gripping the top of his tv face. "_WHAT!? GET OFF OF ME!_" Shrieked Flowey angrily. Nemo used his left hand to keep himself in place as he raised his right hand and clenched it into a fist. He then unleashed a flurry of punches into the monster's face. After a dozen and a half strikes, Flowey shuddered as his attacks abruptly stopped. Nemo let go and dropped next to Frisk, who was panting, exhausted, and beaten by all of Flowey's attacks.

"Did we do it?" Asked Nemo.

"Yeah!" Said Frisk. "He's out of strength!"

"_No... NO!_" Cried Flowey as he began to shake violently. "_This _can't _be happening!_ _You… _you…" All of a sudden, Flowey stopped shaking as he reloaded and his face became unbelievably smug. All Frisk and Nemo could do was stare in shock. "_You _idiots_._"

The next thing they knew, the humans were going through a series of being vaporized by lasers, and stabbed to death by vines. The humans died and were brought back over a dozen times, until Flowey's latest blast left both of them within an inch of their lives. They collapsed to the ground exhausted as he surrounded them with pellets. "_Hee hee hee._" He laughed. "_Did you _really _think… you could defeat ME!? I am the _god _of this world. And _you_!? You're both _hopeless_. Hopeless, and alone… golly, that's right! Your _worthless _friends… can't save you now. Call for help. I dare you. Cry into the darkness! 'Mommy! Daddy! Somebody help!' See what good it does you_" He taunted.

Frisk propped themselves up with their elbows, and took a deep breath. "Help us! Please!" They cried.

There was silence. "_But nobody came._" Said Flowey. "_Boy! What a shame! Nobody else… is gonna get to see you _die_!_" Flowey laughed one last time as the pellets slowly backed away, before flying at the humans. In what he thought would be their final moments, Nemo reached over and held Frisk close to him.

"At least we gave it our all… I just wish we could have done things a little differently." He said.

Suddenly the pellets vanished, and the humans' injuries were gone. Flowey stared at them. "_What? How'd you…?_" He asked. "_Well, I'll just-._" He looked around nervously as nothing happened. The humans slowly stood up. "_Wh… where are my powers?!_" Demanded Flowey. Suddenly the souls detached from Flowey and floated in the air. "_The souls…? What are they doing…?_" Flowey's entire body then began to convulse wildly as it randomly changed colors. "_NO! NO! YOU CAN'T DO THAT! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO OBEY ME! STOP! STOP IT! STOOOOPPPP!_"

And everything became white…

**Page 34 End**


	35. Chapter 5, Page 5

Frisk and Nemo stared down at him. Flowey. Back in the body of a flower. Back to being soulless. The human souls had gone who knows where. Honestly it didn't matter. They were free, they could move on to the next world, wherever, whatever that was.

The humans made no movement, they continued to only stare. Neither of them had anything to say. "_...What are you doing?_" Asked Flowey. "_Do you really think I've learned anything from this? No._" Neither human reacted as Flowey slowly looked up at them. "_Sparing me won't change anything. Killing me is the only way to end this._" They said nothing. "_If you let me live… I'll come back._" Neither human reacted. "_I'll kill you._" Still nothing. "_I'll kill everyone._" Nothing. "_I'll kill everyone you love._"

Nemo slowly approached the flower. Frisk looked up at him, but said nothing. Nemo silently stood above Flowey, staring down at him. "No." Said Nemo simply.

"_...Why?_" Asked Flowey. "_...why are you being… so nice to me? I can't understand. I can't understand!_"

"This isn't me being nice to you. I'm just sick and tired of killing people." Said Nemo.

"_...I see…_" Said Flowey softly. There was a moment of silence, then he sank into the ground, and ran away.

Frisk and Nemo stared at the ground before looking up at the doorway in front of them. "Let's get out of here…" Said Nemo.

"...K…" Said Frisk. The duo walked through the doorway, not quite sure what was on the other side.

Everything became white.

* * *

They stared in shock.

They were outside.

They could see the setting sun.

It felt warm… not like it wasn't anything compared to Hotland though.

"We did it…" Said Nemo.

"We did…" Said Frisk softly.

"We escaped the underground." Said Nemo.

"Yup." Said Frisk.

"So… why don't I feel happy?" Asked Nemo as he stared at his hands.

Frisk looked over at him as a gust of wind came through. "How do you feel?" They asked.

"Just… really… really… tired…" Said Nemo as his hands dropped to his sides.

"Then maybe we should rest for a bit?" Suggested Frisk.

"Th… that…" Said Nemo as he fell/sat down. "Doesn't sound like a bad idea…" He leaned his head on top of Frisk's while they rested their head on Nemo's shoulder. Nemo blinked a few times before dozing off.

* * *

Nemo jumped awake at the sound of a phone ringing. Frisk sat up as they looked at him. It was dark now. The moon was in the center of the sky. They must have been here for a while. Unfortunately, Nemo took too long finding his phone (how that thing stayed intact throughout the entirety of the fight went far beyond him) and it wound up going to voicemail. "_Heya._" They heard Sans's voice say. "_Is anyone there…? Well, I'll just leave a message… so… it's been a while. The queen returned, and attempted ruling the underground. She enstated a new policy… all humans who fall here would be treated not as enemies… but as friends._" Nemo and Frisk couldn't help but smile at his words. But what he said next made those smiles fade in an instant. "_...But people _really _didn't like that policy. Because of you, not only was the king gone… but the human souls had gone missing as well… along with the lives of countless citizens. Nobody wanted to see that happen ever again. So the people started a rebellion to overthrow the queen. Undyne spearheaded the revolution, of course._" Nemo couldn't even laugh at the pun. "_She was pretty mad after what happened to Asgore and Alphys. She threw the queen out of the castle with her strength. Then she became the empress of the underground… and banished the queen back to the ruins. Seems like Undyne's… hmmm… even more vehement about destroying humanity than Asgore… but hey! It's not all bad! She's not lonely anymore. Me and Papyrus go and visit her… We bring her books from the library or play games… we've even convinced her to leave sometimes. As long as me or Papyrus stay behind to watch for humans. But Papyrus loves doing that._"

"_YEAH! I LVER STANDING IN FOR THE QUEEN!_" Exclaimed Papyrus. "_I'VE BEEN PRACTICING FOR WHEN A HUMAN COMES. I'M GOING TO BE A GREAT MOM! BY THE WAY, WHO ARE YOU TALKING TO?_"

"_Oh, nobody._" Said Sans.

"_OH, COOL. TELL THEM I SAY HI!_" Said Papyrus.

"_Papyrus says hi._" Said Sans. "_Well, I hope things are better where you are. Later._" And then he hung up.

Nemo clutched the phone in his hand before letting it drop to his side. "I screwed up, didn't I?" He asked.

"_Perhaps… but that doesn't mean you can't fix it._" Said a familiar voice. The humans turned around to see Flowey behind them, at the edge of the barrier. "_Hey. Since you defeated me. I've been thinking. Is killing things really necessary? I… I honestly don't know anymore. I have a request for you. Both of you. Prove to me… prove to me you are strong enough to survive. Get here from the beginning. Without killing a single thing… and I won't kill the king. When you'll have your so-called 'happy ending.' So, what will it be? Will you prove yourselves? Or will I get to watch you suffer…? Either way, I'm interested! Hee hee hee…_" Flowey then disappeared.

"What did he mean?" Asked Nemo.

"He wants me to reset." Said Frisk.

"Reset?" Asked Nemo.

"Reset. Start everything over, go back to the day we fell into the underground." Explained Frisk.

"You can do that?" Asked Nemo.

"Yeah… I think so at least… I've never tried it before…" Said Frisk.

Nemo put a hand on their shoulder. "I'm sure you can do it… but I'll leave the decision to you." He told them.

Frisk smiled before raising their hand as if to touch something in front of them. Whatever it was, Nemo couldn't see it. The next thing he knew, everything was white.

* * *

Nemo looked around. They were sitting in the flower bed. Nemo looked up to see the hole. "You did it." He said in awe.

"Yup." Said Frisk. Though they sounded a little different, but Nemo decided not to pay it any mind.

"C'mon, let's go!" Said Nemo, but he stopped when Frisk grabbed his wrist and pulled on him. "Hm?" He asked as he turned to look at them. "Is something wro-." Nemo was cut off by something hitting the side of his face. Hard. He collapsed to the ground, holding his sore face. He was _not _used to pain when his LOVE was still at one. He looked up to see Frisk staring down at him, their eyes were now a dark crimson and their face twisted into a demented smile. "F… Frisk…?" Said Nemo uncertainly. Frisk brought the stick down again, hitting him in the head multiple times until he eventually blacked out, but was still alive.

"Frisk" Reached down and pulled Nemo's scarf off, putting it on themselves, all while continuing to smile. They then started walking while doing a few practice swings with their weapon.

_**Page 35 End**_

**Chapter 5 End**

_**DUALTALE**_


	36. Chapter 6, Page 1

Nemo inhaled sharply as he quickly sat up and brought a hand to his aching head. "What the heck…?" He asked softly as he looked around. "_What happened?"_ He asked himself. HIs eyes widened as he noticed something. "Frisk? Frisk!?" He called as he shakily stood up. He winced as he continued to hold his head. He looked around one more time and confirmed that Frisk was gone. He looked down the cave path and realized that there's only one way they could've gone. He went through the entrance as he began his quest to find his friend.

He passed over the patch that he and Frisk met Flowey for the first time, but he wasn't there now. "_No Toriel either. Did Frisk go ahead without me?" _Wondered Nemo. He continued ahead through the next doorway. Nemo stopped in front of the glowing star. Nemo realized that he'd never once touched one of these stars. That made him wonder what they felt like. He extended his hand to it, only for it to go right through. He looked at his hand, and then back at the star. "_Weird." _He thought before he continued walking. He walked up the stairs and through the doorway into the next room.

He looked to see that the puzzle to get through this room had already been solved. "_Did Frisk really go without me?" _Nemo wondered. "_But why?"_ He sighed before walking through the door. He looked across the room to see that all the levers were pulled and the spike's blocking the doorway to the next room had been retracted. He continued walking to the next room.

This was the one that the dummy, the calm one, not the one who tried to kill him and Frisk, was _supposed _to be, but instead there was just a pile of dust. "_Did Frisk…? No, that's ridiculous… right?"_ He thought as he moved through the doorway.

He made his way around the bend and into that narrow path. Nemo vaguely remembered it, this is where that Froggit attacked him. But this time, nobody came. Nemo looked across to see the large mass of spikes that Toriel had helped the duo through, but this time, she wasn't here. Nemo had to tread lightly, testing every spot to make sure that he wouldn't get skewered if he stepped there. He let out a sigh as he made it to the finish. He took one look back at the spikes before continuing forward.

It was that extended hallway. Not having the patience for this walk, he jogged all the way to the other end. He walked through the doorway into the next room and saw the other star. He sighed as he looked down at it before continuing on his adventure through the ruins.

Getting through wasn't particularly difficult, considering that all the puzzles were already solved. But one thing was causing him some concern. Despite the amount of distance he'd covered, not one monster had approached him. All he could find… were piles of dust.

After what felt like forever, Nemo found himself at the entrance to Toriel's home. He entered the building and began to search around for answers. But he didn't find anything useful in her house, so he decided to go under it. He walked down the stairs and made his way to the Ruins' exit. He continued to walk, a walk that went by much faster without Toriel's continuous monologue. He stopped at the doorway when he noticed something that made his blood go cold. It was a large pile of dust, and he could see some purple scraps of fabric in it. He knew, without a doubt, that this was Toriel's dust sitting in a pile before him. Nemo brought a hand up to his mouth for a moment, and as he pulled it away, he noticed that something else of his was missing. "_Where's my scarf?"_ He wondered. He swallowed the lump in his throat as he looked back at the dust. "_I need to find Frisk."_ He then stepped over Toriel's dust and went through the doorway.

He made his way past the dark corridor and to the large exit way that would take him to the path to Snowdin. He brought his hand up, put it on the door, and pushed it open before walking through into the cold snow.

Nemo shivered as he made his way through the cold area. He was glad he was wearing closed shoes or he'd probably be dealing with frostbite sooner or later. He continued to walk until he stopped at the bridge that Papyrus had made. Nemo remembered that this was supposed to be where Sans came through and did his whoopee cushion prank. But nobody came… Nemo steeled his nerves before he continued through the bridge.

It took a while. But after wandering through the snow filled forest for what felt like forever, Nemo found himself crossing the bridge into Snowdin. Nemo stared in shock.

Snowdin… was abandoned. Nemo made his way through the town. He checked the buildings, but not a single monster remained. "_Where is everyone?"_ Thought Nemo. He made his way to the Eastern end of the town. He paused for a moment as he looked at the home of the skeleton brothers. "_Sans… Papyrus… where _are _you?" _Suddenly a cold wind came blowing through. Nemo crossed his arms as he shivered. He then let out an alarmed cry when some type of fabric collided with and covered his head. After struggling with it for a moment, Nemo was able to remove the piece and examine it. His eyes widened, his blood seemed to turn to ice, and he could feel his heart plummet to the pit of his stomach as he saw what it was in his hands. It was Papyrus's cape. There were patches of white powder all over it. No… not powder. It was dust.

Nemo gripped the cape in his hands as he took off running, out of Snowdin and into Waterfall. "_Gotta find Frisk! Gotta find Frisk!" _He mentally chanted to himself over and over again.

He ran past Sans's sentry station, past the box and waterfall, through the weeds and the cliff that he saw Undyne for the first time. He ran over the flower bridges and through the doorway, he stopped running when he realized he was in the cavern with the glowing roof and the echo flowers. He noticed that the echo flowers were all dead silent. Nemo swallowed the lump in his throat before taking a left and going through the not so hidden pathway into the next area.

He resumed running across the docks and reached the piece of dock that carried him across the pitch dark water. Nemo sighed as he stepped onto the next dock and resumed walking. He realized that this was the section of dock where Undyne threw spears at him and Frisk. But there was nobody here this time. Nemo was concerned. So much so that it was making him nauseous. He continued to hold onto the cape in his hand as he ran across the dock. Once through he made his way through the weeds and to the other side. He walked past the box and the entrance to where that Nice Cream Guy had been that one time. He took a right and reached the area with glowing water.

Nemo didn't falter as he continued to trek ahead. He cleared the glowing waters, and that place he and Frisk met Onionsan. He passed the area with the statue that had rain on it. Nemo was surprised to see that someone had stopped to cover it with an umbrella. He could hear the music box within it playing. Nemo walked past the trash can that was supposed to be full of umbrellas, only to see that it was empty. Nemo rolled his eyes at the inconvenience and continued moving. He walked through the rainy area until he reached that cliffside that the Monster Kid helped him and Frisk climb. Nemo stared at it for a moment before backing away. He then charged at the cliff. Just as he reached it, he raised one foot and pressed it into the cliff at an angle that he was able to propel himself upward enough to grab the top of the cliff. His arms took a few scrapes that stung a bit, but he was still able to hoist himself up. Once on top, he continued moving.

He wound up on the dock where Undyne tried to stab him and Frisk through the floor. After a long and complicated series of twists and turns, Nemo found himself at the end of the dock, which was broken. Which means Frisk had been knocked over the side and into the darkness below. "_F*ck my life…."_ Thought Nemo as he sighed before turning around and falling back first into the darkness.

* * *

Nemo coughed and groaned as he sat up in the bed of sunflowers. Never had he felt such hatred, yet relief for a flower before. He staggered to his feet and trudged his way through the dump. He passed the area with Undyne and Napstablook's houses and continued East.

He stopped in front of a doorway and decided to check it out. He was shocked to see that old turtle monster. "Wa ha ha! So you came here as well! Guess that makes two treats for me then!" Laughed the monster.

"I-I can't believe it!" Said Nemo. "So there _are _still monsters around! I thought that they were all gone!"

"Nah… there's no point in trying to go anywhere with these old bones. Doesn't matter anyway since this is the safest place." Said the monster.

Nemo opted to ignore the monster's strange ramblings and tried to see if he could get some answers. "What's going on? Where is everyone!?" He asked.

"They're evacuating. The ones who haven't died anyway." Replied the monster.

"D-died?" Asked Nemo.

"Haven't you heard? A human in a stripe shirt is going through the underground and killing everyone. I actually saw them about a half hour ago. They tried to attack me, but they weren't able, so they left." Explained the old monster.

"Striped shirt…? Uh… n-no, that's impossible." Said Nemo. "Frisk wouldn't… they couldn't…"

"What, are you not with them? You're a human too aren't ya?" Asked the monster.

"I-I am with them!" Said Nemo. "Or at least… I was… we got separated right after we re-...er… fell."

"I see… well, I'd be careful with that one. When I saw them, it seemed like they were walking a very narrow line between human and monster. And if they're continuing the way they are now, I'm willing to bet-" The old monster was cut off when the world suddenly went white.

* * *

"-ven't died anyway." Said the monster.

"...Huh?" Asked Nemo.

"Something wrong?" Asked the old monster.

"Wait, didn't you already say th-" Said Nemo in confusion. Then his eyes widened in realization. "No… _oh no_…"

"Kid?" Asked the old turtle.

"I-It was nice talking to you, but I've got to go! Bye!" Shouted Nemo as he went out the front door and ran. Through the water and to the path with glowing mushrooms. Nemo started moving down the path. "_God, oh god! If Frisk came through here half an hour ago, then that must mean-!"_ Then the world went white again.

* * *

"-ven't died anyway." Said the monster.

"_-they're fighting… Undyne…" _Nemo stared in shock. Time was rewinding. Again and again. Frisk was fighting Undyne. And they were losing!

"Kid?" Asked the old monster. Nemo took off again. And the world reset.

* * *

Again.

* * *

And _Again_.

* * *

_**And Again.**_

* * *

The old turtle stared at the human, who was drawing tally marks in the dirt. He stopped after twenty eight. He then groaned and leaned his head against the wall. "Something wrong with you?" Asked the old monster.

Nemo sighed. "The loops are getting longer." He said.

"Pardon?" Asked the monster.

"Each loop takes a little longer. Frisk is going to win soon." Said Nemo.

"I don't understa-" Once again, a reset cut the monster off.

* * *

"-ven't died anyway." Said the monster.

"That makes twenty nine." Said Nemo tiredly.

"Eh?" Asked the monster.

"Screw it. Let's see if I can make it this time." Said Nemo as he exited the shop while the old turtle could only stare in confusion.

Nemo stared at the ground as he tiredly trudged through the remainder of Waterfall. He paused in front of the path that led to the Temmie Village, which he'd wound up finding some time around reset nineteen when he'd gotten bored and decided to wander.

He cleared the path illuminated by crystals before walking through a body of water and up the path of glowing grass. "_Strange… I've never made it this far before…" _Thought Nemo.

**Page 36 End**


	37. Chapter 6, Page 2

Nemo walked through the path full of deathly silent echo flowers, which were making chills run down his spine as he stopped at another glowing star. "_Was that here last time?"_ He asked himself. He went right and made his way across the bridge. He remembered that it was the bridge he decided to save that kid on. But something felt wrong. The wind was especially strong here. Nemo continued to walk, but stopped when he heard the sound of something squishy under his feet. "Ew, what…?" He asked as he looked down. It was a puddle of greenish blue sludge. A large one, some of it was dripping over the edge. "_What is this?" _He asked as he bent down to examine it. Then he noticed the pieces of metal scattered throughout the puddle, all mostly covered in goo and unrecognizable. Nemo blinked in concern before reaching over and picking one of the pieces up. He then realized that it was a glove. There was a heart emblem engraved into it. Nemo was growing concerned as he started to examine the other pieces of metal.

Soon enough he gathered enough pieces to determine that this was a set of armor. And there was only one person in Waterfall that wore armor. "_Undyne…"_ He thought. Then he looked back at what he was standing in and had a realization. "_Oh my god…"_ He put a hand over his mouth as he started to gag. He moved to the edge of the bridge and put his hands on his knees before emptying the contents of his stomach into the void below. Or he would have anyway, but since he hadn't eaten in… any time he could remember, now that he thought about it, all he could do was dry heave. Eventually he collected himself and continued forward.

He tried to run, but found that he lacked both the mental and physical strength to do so. That's when he also realized that he was absolutely starving. "_Been a little preoccupied to eat." _He thought tiredly. He started walking. After a while, he eventually found himself in Hotland, passing one of Sans's sentry stations. He crossed the bridge over the lava pool of death and stopped at the water cooler. "_Well, it's better than nothing."_ He thought as he got himself some water. He downed the cup in one shot before continuing ahead. He reached the glowing star. He then realized he had three options. Go south to see if the Riverperson was here, go north to the elevator, or west to the lab.

His first choice _was_ to go north… but as soon as he reached the path, an electrical barrier formed, preventing his passage. He grimaced at the blockade before sighing and going into the lab. The lights were turned on, which made Nemo certain that Frisk had already been here. He walked and stopped in front of that large computer of Alphys's. Which had Alphys herself in front of it. "Alphys?" He asked.

Alphys leapt into the air and let out a scream of terror. "Woah, woah, chill! It's just me!" He said, trying to reassure her. It didn't help.

"P-p-please don't k-ki-kill me…" She whimpered.

Nemo sighed. "I'm not going to kill you. I'm… a friendly human." He said calmly.

Alphys looked more than a bit unsure, but considering that he hadn't tried to kill her yet, despite her being defenseless, probably meant something. "A-alright…" She said.

Nemo's eyes drifted back up to the screen, which showed Frisk. They were riding an elevator at the moment, but they were staring at the floor, making it so Nemo couldn't see their face. "Where are they going?" Asked Nemo.

"Floor L3." Said Alphys softly. "Muffet and M-Mettaton are going to try and h-hold them off while I complete the evacuations."

"I have to stop them before more people die." Said Nemo as he stood up straight. "Can you drop that barrier so I can get to the elevator?"

"W-what? Why? Aren't you a human, why are you trying to stop them? We're m-monsters after all." Asked Alphys.

"Monsters or not, this is genocide, and it needs to stop." Said Nemo as he gripped Papyrus's cape. "Besides, I've learned that there's more to you that I originally thought."

"...H-how do I know that y-you're not lying?" She asked.

"C'mon Alpyhs, I thought liars were supposed to be able to recognize their own kind?" Asked Nemo with a smirk. Alphys looked away for a moment and didn't say anything. "_Perhaps the liar jab was a bit much."_ Thought Nemo.

"Alright." Said Alphys. "I'll-." Alphys didn't finish her sentence as she put her hands over her mouth and gasped. Nemo looked over at the screen to see Muffet's body turn to dust. Nemo watched silently as one of her spiders dropped a flower over her remains. Frisk paid it no mind and continued walking, frying pan in hand.

"Geez…" Said Nemo. "They really are killing everyone." He couldn't believe it. He didn't want to believe it. What had happened to that promise they made to Flowey? They had been so close to a happy ending, why was Frisk doing this. "_Is this what they wanted all along?"_ He didn't have the strength to voice that question.

"It's done." Said Alphys as she turned away from her monitor. "Y-you can go straight to the elevator n-now."

"Thanks…" Said Nemo softly. "He then looked down at her. "Hey… Alphys?"

"W-what i-is it?" Asked Alphys nervously.

He knelt down and hugged her, much to her surprise. "Thank you, I'm sorry about that punch, but I was rightfully angry about you tricking us." He said.

"W-what are you talking about!?" She asked as she pulled away from him.

"It doesn't really matter." Said Nemo as he scratched the back of his head. "You forgot that, and once this is all over you'll forget this."

"H-huh?" Asked Alphys in confusion.

"Thanks Alphys!" Shouted Nemo as he ran back out the front door.

Nemo ran all the way to the elevator and entered it. He looked down at the buttons, and was reminded of the fact that it was still written in a language he couldn't read. "Ugh…" He groaned. "_Alright… eenie, meenie, miney…"_ He thought as his fingers hovered over the buttons.

After a few trips up and down, Nemo finally found himself at floor L3. After clearing those annoying jumping arrows and passing Muffet's overpriced bake sale, he entered the area Muffet died in. What he saw made him stop in his tracks. Now, he was ok with spiders, he thought he was cool. He did _not _however, like the sight of an ungodly amount of spiders clamoring all over the place. He found it mildly unsettling. He then heard a thud as something landed behind him. He turned to see Muffet's giant pet standing behind him, giving him a death glare. "Hi." Said Nemo weakly. Then it started to growl. "Aaand BYE!" He shouted as he booked it for the exit, the large beast roaring and chasing him. He crossed the webs and dove through the opening doorway, which the pet was too large to fit through. Nemo let out a wheeze as the creature attempted to force its way through the doorway to get to him. "Well." He groaned. "That wasn't fun."

He then continued forward. He passed the area where he had to watch Mettaton prance around in that dress before being dropped down a trapdoor. Looks like at least that was one thing he'd get to avoid today. He reached another four way crossroad, and after looking around, he went north and found himself in front of the resort. He looked around and saw no Sans. "_Did he evacuate with everyone else?"_ Nemo wondered as he held onto Papyrus's cape. He sighed as he entered the resort. He passed the stupid water fountain and entered the core. He then proceeded to get himself lost. At some point he managed to come across a Glamburger, and at this point his stomach was too empty for him to be picky so he ate it. He sighed as he continued his way through the Core.

"_This was so much easier when Frisk was here." _Thought Nemo sourly as he found himself at another dead end. He was starting to get a headache from all of this. Then he remembered something. "_Hey, if Alphys unlocked the elevators, maybe I can use that one in the Lobby." _

He then proceeded to try and find his way back to the start. But that only ended with him at the bridge that led to the door where Mettaton was. He started running across. But he wasn't even halfway across when the world abruptly went white.

* * *

He suddenly found himself back at the start of the bridge. He looked at his hands, and then at the end of the bridge. "_Ah geez, here we go again."_ He thought sourly. "_But who are they fighting? Mettaton? Did I really catch up that much?"_ Everything went white again.

* * *

He found that he was in the same spot. "_No… that can't be it, if it was Mettaton, then the fight would have started earlier than this. There's no way I would have caught up with them that fast." _He thought. "_Asgore maybe? It's a bit of a walk, but given how much time it took me to get he-"_ Cue white out.

* * *

"_-re, I wouldn't be surprised if they had got that far." _Nemo sighed dejectedly. "_This is gonna take a while, isn't it?"_

**Twelve resets later**

Nemo sprinted down the gray corridors and into the gray house. He stopped for a moment to catch his breath. "_New… record…" _He thought tiredly. He decided he should use the time he had to find any clues.

* * *

Or not…

**Twenty resets later**

Refusing to give up, Nemo continued to run. Into the gray house he went, vaulting over the stair rails and into the lower floor. Once in the gray hallway, he started sprinting. "_There's not much time left, they're going to die any moment now." _He thought as he took a left, then a right. And just as soon as he stepped out of the hallway, the world reset once more.

* * *

Nemo groaned as he leaned his back against one of the walls in the core and sat down. "Thirty seven…" He muttered.

**Thirty two resets later**

Nemo was losing his mind. He was just sitting there hitting his head against a wall. "_What's the point?"_ He asked himself. "_It'll all just reset anyway."_ He eventually just stopped and sat there, his forehead pressed against the wall. That's when his exhaustion caught up with him. His vision became blurred as his eyes closed. "_Yeah… it doesn't matter..."_

* * *

Nemo blinked tiredly as he looked around. He was awake again, but he was sure he fell asleep. "_Oh… I guess since I was awake at the start of the loop, I'll just wake up every time they reset."_ He thought as he looked around. He sighed. "_Whatever, I'll just snooze for a few timelines…"_ He then dropped like a sack of potatoes.

**Twenty eight resets later**

Nemo met the latest reset with a serious expression. "_This is the one hundreth. No doubt Frisk is close to winning against Asgore, better get moving."_ He thought before taking off. He passed by the scrap heap of Mettaton's remains, something he'd grieved over numerous times, but no longer had the time to feel sad about. Through the elevator, the gray area, the gray house, and he made his way through the last gray area, passing that elevator. He was halfway down when suddenly-

* * *

Nemo found himself back at the end of that hallway. "_This is new." _He thought as he looked around. He started moving again and found himself back at the end of the hall. He kept moving, trying to reach the end, and he was sent back probably a dozen times. Then, all of a sudden, the resets just stopped. He was confused, but he figured he'd figure out what happened soon enough. He was about to take a right into the Judgement Hall, when he walked into someone. They were about to fall, so he quickly reached out and grabbed them. His eyes widened in shock at who it was. "...Sans?" He asked in a soft, shocked voice.

_**Page 37 End**_


	38. Chapter 6, Page 3

Sans was shocked to say the least. "_Another… human…? What, did you come to brag about your friend winning?_" He asked tiredly. Nemo looked down and noticed the deep cut on his chest.

""Oh god… you're injured. Quick, we need to get you help!" Said Nemo frantically. Now Sans was just plain confused.

"_Look kid, don't bother, I'm all out of hope, see?_" He asked as he held up his hand, which was starting to disappear.

"No no no…" Said Nemo worriedly. "Sans, you have to hang in there!"

Sans chuckled. "_I appreciate the thought kid, really… but I'm out of time, couldn't convince the kid to reset…_" He said dejectedly.

This made Nemo pause. "You know about reset?" He asked.

Sans blinked in shock at realising what he'd revealed, but decided it didn't matter. "_Yup._" He said simply.

Nemo looked away for a moment and sighed. "Sans… I'm sorry that we couldn't do it in the last timeline, but this time I promise that I _will _make things right." He said.

Sans was quiet for a moment before chuckling as more of him faded away. "_Don't worry about it kid… I gave up on that idea a long... time... ago…_" He said as the light began to rapidly leave his eye sockets.

"Sans? Sans!" Cried Nemo when Sans went limp as the rest of his body vanished to dust, leaving behind only that blue jacket. Nemo stayed there for a moment, kneeling on the ground, surrounded by Sans's dust. He clenched his teeth as he tried to keep tears from falling. He then grabbed ahold of Sans's jacket and Papyrus's cape. First he put the jacket on, which admittedly was a little small, but not very, then he put the cape on. He then set his sights on the Judgement hall. He looked at it. It was a mess. There were numerous bones sticking out of the walls, floor, and ceiling. Pillars and windows were destroyed. The tiling was cracked in numerous places. "_Sans must've been something else to do all this." _Thought Nemo as he put his hands in the pockets of the jacket. He exited the hall and went to the throne room. That's when he heard the sound of Flowey's screaming. Nemo rushed ahead to see what it was.

He entered the throne room and stopped when he saw the sight before him. It was Frisk, and they were standing over the destroyed remains of a flower, just staring down at it. There was a knife glistening with blood in their right hand. Nemo inhaled sharply. "Frisk!" He shouted. This caused them to raise their head and turn to look at him. Blood red eyes met his pale blue ones. "Oh, you're still alive?" They asked calmly. Then they smiled evilly. "Gotta say, I LOVE the new accessories."

Nemo swallowed the lump in his throat. "Why? Why is everyone dead? Didn't we promise a happy ending?" He asked.

Frisk chuckled at this. "Why, you ask?" As they asked this, their body seemed to glitch and distort for a moment, causing Nemo to flinch. "Because these murderers lost their right to happiness."

"Pot meet kettle…" Said Nemo uneasily.

"You're one to talk, it's not like you aren't a killer yourself." Frisk glitched again as they said this.

"Frisk, you know that was only to prote-." Said Nemo.

"SHUT UP!" Screeched Frisk. This glitching was much worse than the last two. They stayed like that for a moment. When they finally collected themself, they looked different. Their clothes had become green, yellow, and brown and their skin was much paler, save for some strange eternal blush on their cheeks.

"Frisk?" Asked Nemo uncertainly.

"Frisk isn't here anymore." Said the human in front of him. "You can call me…" They gave him a terrifying smile as their voice distorted, "**Chara**…"

Nemo could have sworn he'd heard that name before. No, he'd read it before. "That was the name on the red coffin." He said.

"**Yup**!" They said. "**I'm Chara Dreemurr**! **The adopted child of King Asgore and Queen Toriel**."

"But, you've been dead for years! How are you here!?" Asked Nemo.

Chara smirked as they raised their knife into the air. "**Survive this attack and I'll tell you**." They said before swinging it at him.

Nemo was confused, there was no way they could hit him from here. Then as they swung their knife, a physical slash made of red magic came flying at him. "Woah!" He shouted as he jumped out of the way. He looked over his shoulder to see the slash hit a wall, leaving a giant slash in it. "How did you…?" He asked as he looked back at Chara.

"**When your Level Of ViolencE reaches twenty, you pick up a few tricks**." They said. "**But more importantly, you wasted your question, so now**…" Nemo didn't even see them switch weapons; it happened so fast, but the next thing he knew, they were pointing the gun at him.

"What the heck!?" He shouted as he jumped out of the way of their gunshots. After firing three shots at him, they stopped. "Alright, back to my first question: You died, how are you here? And why do you look like a kid still? And where's Frisk!?"  
"**Normally I'd be upset that you asked three questions instead of one, but since they can all be answered at once, I'll let it slide**." They said. "**I did die. I've been dead for years. And then Frisk fell. Their Determination was strong enough to wake me up. And then I possessed them. And if you want to know where Frisk is**," Suddenly they were right in front of him, and was wearing the gloves. "**You'll have to survive**!"

They started throwing punches at him. He ducked backwards to avoid a few, then he held up his hand and tried to stop a punch. It didn't go as planned as they slammed him into a wall. Nemo coughed as he fell to the floor. "**What a shame, you failed, guess that means I get to attack again**." Said Chara as they switched to the ballet shoes. They charged and started throwing kicks at him. Nemo jumped back and started avoiding their kicks. They were fast too. But after a dozen or so swings at him, they decided to stop.

Nemo stood there panting for a second. "Why?" He asked. "Why are you doing this?!"  
Chara was silent for a moment, before chuckling. "**Sorry Nemo, if you want the answer to this question, you'll have to survive attacks more dangerous than that.**" They said.

"Oh shoo-!" Shouted Nemo as literal words were summoned and flew at him. He ducked out of the throne room and pressed his back against the wall right next to the entrance. He waited for Chara to walk through, then threw a punch at them, only for his fist to be stopped by a frying pan. "MOTHER FRGRLGR!" Shouted Nemo as he shook his aching hand.

"**Nice try**." Said Chara as they swung the frying pan at him. Nemo stepped back, avoiding getting hit. Chara adjusted their grip on the pan, making the open part face him before swinging it at him. As they did the pan summoned and launched a fireball at him. Nemo reacted quickly enough, bringing his arms up to shield his face. The flames struck his arms, singing the sleeves of Sans's jacket, and knocking Nemo onto his back. Chara switched to the ballet shoes and did a jump kick at him, but Nemo rolled to the side just before getting stomped. His eyes widened when the force of Chara's kick cracked the floor. Chara spun and kicked at him again, but Nemo was able to duck before punching Chara in the shin. They barely flinched before switching to the toy knife and stabbing at him. Nemo lost a few hairs ducking out of the way of that one. He then jumped at and tackled Chara to the ground. He tried to punch them, but they switched to the tough gloves and caught his punch. He tried punching them with his other hand, which was also caught. Nemo struggled against Chara for a moment before they headbutted him in the nose. Nemo stopped struggling to put his hands on his face, which Chara used to their advantage to punch him off of them and to the end of the hall. Nemo rubbed his jaw before looking at Chara, who pulled the gun back out and started shooting at him. Nemo let out a yelp before diving to his left, and going through the doorway into the Judgement hall.

Nemo then had to run as more words flew at him. He then adjusted his trajectory and ran straight towards Chara, He then raised his arm and threw a punch at them. They switched back to their frying pan to block, little did they know that that was Nemo's plan as he used his other arm to punch them in the stomach. Chara doubled over slightly before Nemo brought his knee into their stomach. Nemo then grabbed their throat. "Alright, game's over! Now tell me why you're doing this!?" He shouted.

"**Because**…" Choked Chara as their mouth formed a demented grin before switching to the gun and pointing it at the side of Nemo's head. "**They **_**deserve**_ **it**!" Nemo dropped them and moved backwards just before they pulled the trigger. He then brought his foot up and kicked them in the jaw. Chara's head jerked to the side before spinning around and stabbing at him. Nemo jumped back, narrowly avoiding the blade, but he was so focused on the toy knife in their right hand, he didn't see the real knife in their left hand as it was being raised up. It wasn't until he saw it coming down at him from the corner of his eye until it was too late to dodge. And it was the last time his right eye saw anything.

Nemo screamed as he put a hand over his destroyed eye and fell to his knee, blood beginning to gush out of his face. Chara chuckled as they stood above him. They brought their foot up and kicked him to the ground. "**Sorry Nemo**." They said as they brought the knife up. "**But this is game over for you**."

Then the duo heard the sound of something charging up and being fired. Chara looked up just in time to see a laser strike them and knock them off of Nemo. The humans looked over to see the source of the attack. Nemo had to squint with his one good eye to get a good look at who it was. Then it widened in shock. "A… Alphys!?" He asked in shock. At the entrance to the hall, stood Alphys, who had a large metal dragon skull floating next to her.

"**Well**!" Said Chara. "**This is a shocker! I thought you evacuated with everyone else**!"

"I… I decided!" Said Alphys. "I'm not going to run away and let you destroy everything… I owe it to the people I've hurt." She said that last part with a very solemn expression.

"Alphys… don't…" Groaned Nemo as he kept a hand over his eye. "Run away! They're too strong!"

"I can't!" She shouted. "I can't…"

"**It's too late for her to run anyway**!" Shouted Chara as they charged at Alphys. Alphys tried to stop them, bringing out more metal skulls, which all started firing blasts at Chara, but they were able to avoid the attacks and close the distance between themself and Alphys.

"Alphys!" Shouted Nemo as he extended his hand to her. But it was pointless. Chara stopped directly in front of Alphys and swung their knife. Then there was only silence as neither of them moved. Then Alphys's head fell off as her body crumpled to the ground before fading to dust.

Nemo's hand dropped to his side as he felt his strength leave him. Then he heard something. He heard Chara's laughter. He looked and he saw that they were laughing. "Is… Is this funny to you!?" He demanded, causing them to stop and look at him. "Do you find murder to be funny!?"

Suddenly Chara was in front of him. Before Nemo could react, they kicked him in the face and sent him onto his back. Nemo tried to get up, but before he knew it, they were standing over him. They stomped on his left arm and then pressed their knee into his right, pinning him down and keeping him from moving.

"**I don't know**…" Said Chara as they grinned maliciously.

"What're you doing!?" Asked Nemo as he struggled they placed their hand on his face. "Hey! Stop it!"

"**You tell me**." Said Chara.

"STOP!" Cried Nemo as Chara began the uploading process.

**Page 38 End**


	39. Chapter ? Page 1

You look around in confusion. You wonder where you are. "_**The flowers are in bloom and the birds will tell.**_" You hear me say. You turn around to see me floating in the air above you, dressed in gray sweatpants, a white shirt with a red heart surrounded by a gray monster soul in the middle. I was wearing a black hoodie that stopped just below my knees. On my left sleeve there were three hearts, one green, one orange, and one blue. There were three more on my right sleeve as well, one cyan, one purple, and one yellow. I had black and white, shoulder length hair, and my mouth and nose were covered by a sick mask that had a copy of Sans's smile on it. "_**It's a beautiful day to burn in hell.**_" I said with a wink. I then descended and touched down on the ground in front of you. I pulled my hands out of the white pockets of my jacket and did a little bow. "_**Howdy. I'm A. A the author, and welcome to my realm.**_" You aren't sure how to respond. "_**You're probably a touch confused why you're here rather than watching Nemo suffer?**_" You nod slowly. "_**Weeell… it appears we're having some issues connecting to that universe at the moment. I could show you another reality, but I don't particularly feel like it.**_" You didn't look particularly impressed. You tried to voice your opinion, but found that you couldn't. "_**Sorry 'bout that, you're on mute at the moment, but I promise that you'll be allowed to speak the next time you come here.**_"

You weren't sure if you liked the idea of coming back here.

"_**Rood, but fair.**_" I replied with a shrug. I then noticed your look of confusion. "_**Hm? Oh, I guess it must be weird talking to someone… omnipresent? Is that the right word? Whatever. Point is, I know what you're thinking. Heck, I'm **_**determining**… _**heh… what you're thinking. Pretty wild huh?**_" You nod against your will. "_**Glad you agree, sadly I know you're not here to see me, you're here to see my creation.**_"

You realize that he must be talking about DualTale. "_**Nnn yes and no.**_" I said.

What?

"_**DualTale **_**isn't** _**an AU. Heck, it's not even an AT, er, Alternate Timeline. DualTale and UnderTale have become one in the same. It's the Classic Universe, it's just that a new gear has been put in the machine.**_" I explained.

You realized that I must be talking about Nemo.

"_**Bullseye baby!**_" I said as I did a finger gun at you. "_**Honestly, he's gotten further than I expected him to. I thought my prototype would've died and stayed dead a whole lot sooner than this.**_"

Wait, what?

"_**Ah yes… that probably doesn't make a lot of sense huh? Well, I won't mince words. Nemo is a failure.**_" I said simply.

Wow. Harsh.

"_**Hey, I say it like it is.**_" I say with a shrug. "_**Nemo's soul is flawed. DIdn't you notice that he has a white soul? You all know that human souls have different attributes based on their color. Orange is Bravery, Blue is Integrity, Green is Kindness, etc. Nemo was meant to have a Determination soul, but it didn't work. I suppose it's no big deal, it was only my first attempt, so I should've realized that I wouldn't nail it on the first try.**_"

Wait, if it's not Determination, then what is it?

"_**It's nothing. He's blank. Nemo has no attribute. He's nobody.**_" I said simply.

You can't help but feel bad.

I sighed and looked away. "_**But… maybe it's because he's nobody, that he has the potential to become anybody. Who knows? It's not like I do. I'm just a nobody myself.**_" I said.

I noticed that you were at a loss for words.

"_**Well golly.**_" I said as I checked my nonexistent wrist watch. "_**Looks like we're out of time. Which is crazy since time is arbitrary and nonexistent here, but whatevs. It looks like we're about to establish our connection with the story. I do hope to see you again, especially since next time you'll all be allowed to ask me questions, which I'll be more than happy to answer.**_"

You suddenly begin to feel light. You look at your hands to see that they're fading out of existence. "_**Give Nemo my regards.**_" I said with a wave just before you vanished.

**pAGE **_**? **_**eND**


	40. Chapter 6, Page 4

_The memories flowed into his mind all at once._

_Toriel being cut down_

_Death_

_Papyrus's head being knocked off_

_Undyne melting_

**Make it stop.**

_Suffering_

_Mettaton being blown to bits_

_Sans being cut open_

_PAIN_

_Frisk dying, over, and over again._

**I don't want to see this!**

_Nemo felt trapped. Trapped within the confines of his own mind as he was forced to rewatch everyone's deaths. Chara forced the memories of their genocide into his mind. And now, all he could feel was P.A.I.N._

_But maybe… he could turn that P.A.I.N into power._

* * *

Chara stood up, satisfied with their work. Nemo laid there on the ground, his eyes rolled back into his head, and he was now completely unresponsive. They turned their back to him and ressummoned the ERASE and Do Not buttons. "**It's time Frisk. Let's ERASE this pointless world and move on to the next**."

"_Chara_." They heard a voice behind them say, no, growl. Chara's head whipped around as they looked to see that Nemo was standing up again, his eyes closed, the cut under his eye had healed and left a pitch black scar.

"**What**!?" They cried. "**How are you standing back up**!?"

"I am giving you one chance. Let Frisk go, or I am going to give you a bad time." He said in a forcibly calm voice.

Chara's shock turned to amusement as they let out a laugh. "**You**!? **Please**! **Even that smiling trash bag is a better fighter than you**! **I'd like to see you try**!"

"Fine then." Said Nemo as he took a deep breath and let it out. "It's a miserable day outside. Underground's empty, my friends are dead. On days like this, _freaks like us_…" He then opened his eyes. Chara's eyes widened in shock at the sight of his right eye. It had been replaced by a new one, one with a black sclera and a white iris. At the same time, his hair turned pitch black. "_Should be burning in hell_!" Nemo aimed the palm of his right hand at Chara, and a stream of white fire rocketed at them. Too shocked to react in time, the flames struck Chara, launching them backwards. They landed on their back and rolled before looking back at Nemo. They decided to use Check on him.

'**Nemo**

**Lv: 25**

**ATK: ?**

**DEF: ?**

**He's now made of L.O.V.E, and he's stronger than you**'

Nemo then crouched down and dragged the tips of the fingers of his left hand across the ground before swiping his arm in Chara's direction. A mass of bones erupted from the ground and flew at Chara. Chara moved quickly, jumping through the air and dodging the bones. Nemo reared his right arm back and threw a punch in Chara's direction. White flames shot from his fist and flew straight at them. They spun in the air, dodging the attack and landing on the ground. Then Chara gave them a maniacal grin. "**This might be fun after all**!" They shouted gleefully. They then equipped both the gloves and shoes and summoned both their knives into each hand before charging at him. As they charged, the real knife began to glow bright red and extend. They swung the blade at him, creating a massive sword beam attack. Nemo formed an X with his arms, causing bones to burst from the ground, creating a wall to block the attack. The wall crumbled under the force of the attack, but it did its job of protecting him. Chara burst through the remains of the wall and tried to stab him. Nemo evaded to the side and threw more fire at them.

Chara summoned the frying pan in front of them, blocking the flames before hitting the ground and rolling. They then summoned the notebook and gun, making them fire bullets and words at him. Nemo aimed a hand at the incoming projectiles, and spears burst from the ground, meeting and destroying the incoming attack. Chara tried to cut him again, and when that failed, they swung their leg and tried to kick him. Nemo brought his own leg up and blocked, then before Chara could react, he used that leg to kick them in the mouth and sent them into the air. While they were in the air, Nemo aimed his right hand at them and fired a burst of energy at them. It struck and knocked them out of the sky. They weren't done yet though, as they hit the ground running and charged at him. They slashed their knives at him again. This time Nemo responded by summoning a trident into his hands. He blocked the knives and spun his weapon around before stabbing at them with it. Chara reacted by using a word fired from the book to deflect the trident so that it would only graze them. Nemo abandoned the trident, opting to punch them in the mouth. Chara returned that punch with one of their own.

The duo began exchanging punches and kicks. Eventually Nemo landed a solid punch in their stomach that knocked the wind out of Chara before he blasted them into the air with a burst of fire. He then summoned two of Sans's blasters and fired at Chara. Chara responded by spinning mid air and avoiding the blasts. They landed on the ground and charged at Nemo, who fired energy blasts from his right hand. Chara switched to the frying pan. They deflected two blasts into different directions before rebounding the third shot straight at Nemo, who stopped the attack by summoning spears from the ground and blocking it.

"You still haven't answered my question Chara." Said Nemo, who was starting to feel the strain of using his new powers.

"**Oh**?" Asked Chara. "**And what question is that**?"

"Why did you do this?" He asked. "What made you want to kill everyone."

Chara frowned as they looked at the ground, their hair casting a shadow over their eyes. "**Because they betrayed me**…" They said.

"What?" Asked Nemo.

"**I SAID THEY BETRAYED ME**!" They screamed at him. "**MONSTERS**! **THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO BE BETTER THAN THIS**! **BETTER THAN HUMANS**! **I DIED SO THAT THEY WOULD HAVE A FUTURE**! **And**… **and**… **I come back**… **TO THIS**!" They then brought their knife back out and raised it up, which glowed a bright red and started launching a barrage of red magic slash attacks. Nemo reacted quickly by creating a bone wall, which was quickly obliterated and began to crumble. Chara broke through the remains or the wall, expecting to find Nemo so they could cut him down, but all they found was a cloud of dust from the remains of his magic.

"I'm up here!" He shouted as he summoned three blasters and fired at Chara. They leapt into the air between the blasts and punched Nemo in the stomach, who coughed as the wind left his lungs. Chara then grabbed him as the duo began to fall, and made it so he was beneath them before stomping him into the ground. Nemo growled as he grabbed their ankles before bringing his legs up and wrapping them around their midsection. He then used all four limbs to pull them off of him and slam them into the ground. He then got up and pressed his knee into their stomach and pressed them into the ground while using a hand to grab their throat. "I am giving you one last chance Chara. Reset now and give Frisk their body back, or I will end you!" He threatened.

Chara smirked before changing their appearance back to Frisk's. "N-Nemo! Please don't kill me!" They cried in Frisk's voice. This caused Nemo to freeze long enough to give Chara an opening. Next thing he knew there was a toy knife in his chest. Chara then brought out the frying pan and smacked him in the side of his head with enough force to launch him off of them.

Nemo coughed as he pulled the toy knife out of his chest and threw it to the side.

"Cheap trick…" He growled.

"**I would advise against killing me**…" Said Chara as they changed back to their true appearance. "**After all, that would make the timeline revert back to before you got your powers, and you wouldn't want that, would you**?" Then they changed back to Frisk's appearance and stuck out their tongue at him. "**And besides, I doubt you're even truly capable of killing me so long as I'm in Frisk's body, since that would mean killing Frisk too**."

Nemo grit his teeth and growled. "You little…" He said with a glare. Then he got an idea. "So, if I get you to leave Frisk's body, then I'll be able to end you, is that so?"

This made Chara laugh. "**Ha! And how do you plan to make me do that**?!" They asked mockingly.

"One step at a time." Said Nemo as he cracked his knuckles. Suddenly more magic bullets and physical words were flying at him. He sidestepped the bullets and when the words reached him, he ignited his fists and obliterated them as they reached him in a flurry of punches. He then summoned a giant fireball in both hands and hurled it at Chara. They deflected it with the frying pan, which Nemo planned for, as bones shot from the ground in front of Chara and knocked them back. He summoned a trident and charged at them. Chara used a combination of their knife and pan to block his attacks before switching to the gun and trying to shoot him point blank. He sidestepped and smacked them to the side with his weapon. "What did you mean when you said that you died so that they'd have a future?" He asked as he rested the trident on his shoulder.

Chara stood up and twisted their head to the side, causing their neck to crack. "**You heard the story from those monsters. Asriel absorbed my soul and went to the surface, but not for the reason that everyone thought**." They said calmly. "**Asriel wasn't taking me to see the flowers, we were going to kill six of the humans and take their souls so we could break the barrier**." Nemo wasn't expecting that, but in a way it made sense. "**But… Asriel wasn't able to follow through. He couldn't kill those humans… not even as he was being torn apart. He wound up dying for nothing. And now the monsters have become just as bad as the humans**."

"You really hate humans huh?" Asked Nemo. He may not have any personal memories, but he has plenty of memories of atrocities that humans had committed throughout history. "Can't say I blame you…"

"**See, you realize that humanity deserves to die! And the monsters have proven that they're no better! So help me end this world**!" Said Chara.

"Even so." Said Nemo. "Neither of us have any right to decide that this world deserves to die. Maybe we do deserve it, but I won't just lie down and let you destroy everything."

Chara was silent for a moment. "**You…**" They said as they gripped their knife. "**ARE A DAMN FOOL**!" They sliced at Nemo, causing a red energy slash to fly at him. Nemo held the trident in front of him. It stopped the attack, but the weapon broke in half. Chara then summoned more words that came flying at him. Nemo responded by summoning two blasters that shot the words out of the sky before they could reach him. He then summoned bones from the ground that knocked the notebook away from Chara. Then they were suddenly in front of him as they tried to punch and kick him. Nemo blocked with a bone before doing a sweeping kick to take Chara off of their feet. As they were falling, Nemo blasted them away with fire. Chara flew and hit the ground before rolling. Nemo didn't let up as he chased after them. He was stopped though as a flying frying pan hit him square in the face. He growled as he grabbed it and threw it to the side.

"Alright…" Said Nemo as he narrowed his eyes at Chara, who was standing up. "Let's finish this, I'm getting tired of this fight."

Chara looked at him for a moment before letting out a chuckle. "**You sure? Because judging by that smile of yours, I think you're enjoying this**." They said with an evil smile.

Nemo's eyes widened as he reached up and touched his mouth, discovering that he was grinning. "Huh?" He asked in confusion.

"**Guess that L.O.V.E is having an effect on you. You're enjoying fighting now. And next, you'll enjoy killing. Because that's what a human does**." Said Chara. "**They kill**."

_**Page 39 End**_


	41. Chapter 6, Page 5

Chara continued to mock Nemo, who simply stared at the ground. "**Oh, did I mention, part of what affected my decision to go down this route was you**?" They asked. The reaction from Nemo was small, but noticeable. "**Poor Frisk was sooo upset about what you were doing. Killing monsters for 'self-defense'. But you simply proved that humans were terrible creatures still. Granted it seemed like Frisk was one of those few good ones.**" Nemo clenched his fists. "**But that didn't make the sound of their crying as they begged me to stop any less enjoyable**."

"Shut up!" Nemo shouted. He was suddenly in front of them. His arm seemed to glow as white electricity manifested around it. He slammed his fist into Chara's face, sending them into the air. He reared his left arm back, and then swung it at Chara in the form of a punch. As he did so, an arm made of white energy extended from his hand, making it look like his arm was stretching. The fist hit Chara mid air and knocked them even further into the air. Nemo then ran and jumped into the nearby wall, he hit the wall feet first, and used it as a springboard to launch himself at Chara. He threw a punch at Chara, who responded with one of their own. Both of their fists collided with the other's jaw, and they were both knocked backwards. Nemo was sent towards the wall, but he flipped midair and landed feet first on it, then charged more white electricity through his legs before jumping off the wall, leaving cracks in it, as he launched himself at Chara. Nemo spun mid air and swung his leg at Chara, who lifted their leg and met his kick with one of their own. The attacks cancelled each other out, so Nemo used his other foot to spring off of them and put some distance between them. While he was still in the air, Chara pulled the gun and shot at him. Nemo groaned as one magic bullet struck his side, and another hit his shoulder.

He groaned as he landed on the ground and tried to keep his balance. He then charged at Chara, who switched to their knife, which they channeled magic through, increasing its length, before taking a swing at Nemo. He ducked under the attack and charged magic through his fist before punching them in the stomach. Chara coughed as they grabbed Nemo's arm to prevent being sent flying before punching him in the jaw. Nemo grabbed their arm with his other hand, and brought his foot up, kicking them in the mouth, causing them to let go long enough for him to kick them away. He then did another 'stretch' punch at them, knocking them even further. Chara grunted as they hit the ground. They brought their knife out again and charged at Nemo. Nemo tried to punch them again, but they jumped in the air, avoiding it before landing on the other side of him. He spun around and swung his leg at them, but they maneuvered around it, bringing the knife up to slash his chest. Nemo staggered as he put a hand on his now bleeding chest. Chara wasted no time switching to the gun before firing a shot into his chest point blank, knocking him on his back. Nemo groaned as he hit the ground. He then saw Chara above them, bringing the knife down, he quickly rolled out of the way to avoid it. "**It doesn't matter if you beat me, you know**." Said Chara. "**I'm not going to give Frisk control of this body again. I'm going to kill you. And I'm going to erase this world and everything in it. That's all there is to it**."

"That's some big talk for a kid." Said Nemo.

"**I am no ordinary child, not anymore**." Said Chara. "**I am something more, something that's surpassed even death… a demon perhaps?**" They then summoned their knife and aimed it at Nemo as they increased its size once more. "**But that doesn't matter, what does matter, is that it's time for you to die**!" They then leapt at Nemo. Just before they reached him, he sidestepped their attack, leaving them vulnerable.

Time seemed to slow down to them as Nemo shouted. "Whatever you call yourself, I will beat you!" He shouted as he brought his leg into their stomach, sending them straight into the air. Chara coughed as they flew into the air. As their ascent slowed, they spun mid air and looked at Nemo.

"**I've had enough of this game! Give up, die, and be erased with the rest of this pointless world**!" They shouted as they switched to the gun and aimed it at Nemo before firing three shots. Nemo dodged all three shots before crouching down and charging magic through his legs. He then leapt into the air while spinning with enough force to crack the ground. As he approached Chara, they realized that they were in trouble, so they switched to the knife one last time and charged their remaining magic into it. "**DIE**!" They shouted as they swung it at him. Nemo reared back his arm and did another stretch punch at Chara. The punch smashed the knife before striking their face and sending them all the way into the Judgement hall's roof. Nemo wasn't done as he followed that punch with a barrage of more punches, going so fast that it seemed like Chara was being punched by a dozen arms rather than two. The barrage stopped for just a second to let them see Nemo only a few feet away and closing in fast. In that moment, Chara swore she could see the faces of everyone they killed before Nemo swung one last punch.

"GEEET DUNKED ON!" He shouted as his fist slammed with enough magic enhanced force, it physically removed Chara from Frisk's body long enough for Frisk to regain control. The three of them then fell to the ground. Nemo laid there silently for a moment, as the black in his hair receded, becoming stark white. Then he slowly struggled to sit up. "Frisk?" He asked weakly as he looked over to the smaller human. Their body was glitching out, switching between Frisk and Chara's bodies in different parts. Eventually it stopped, settling on Frisk. They groaned as they laid there. Nemo tried to stand up, but was too physically drained from using his magic. He'd basically been running on adrenaline for the last three minutes or so. But if he couldn't walk, he'd do the next best thing. So he crawled over to them. "Frisk? Is that you? Like, really you?" He asked weakly.

They rolled over and looked at him. "Nemo…?" They asked weakly.

Nemo let out a huff of relief. He then grinned and looked at them. "Hey there kiddo. I missed you." He said.

"Your eye…" They said weakly as they reached out and touched his scar.

"What, this? It's nothing. It's gonna be healed real soon anyway." Said Nemo as he pushed their worries to the side. "How are you feeling?"

Frisk's eyes welled up with tears. "I… I'm so sorry! Everyone… everyone's dead because of me!" They cried.

"Hey, it's not your fault." Said Nemo as he pulled them close.

"But I wasn't strong enough! I couldn't stop Chara! I should have said something about them!" Said Frisk.

"Sh… it's ok." Said Nemo.

"_**No. NO!**_" The duo heard a familiar voice say. They turned to see Chara floating above them as a spirit. "_**I am so close! I won't lose now!**_" They then flew towards Frisk, but they were stopped when Nemo got between them, surrounded his hand in magic, and grabbed Chara by their throat. They struggled to break free, and they were making progress due to Nemo's exhaustion.

"Frisk! Do it! Save everyone!" Shouted Nemo, causing Frisk to flinch in surprise. It took them a moment, but they realized what he was talking about. Suddenly two black buttons with yellow words appeared before them. One said "Reset" the other said "Continue"

Frisk raised their hand into the air. "_**NOOO!**_" Screeched Chara as Frisk slammed their hand onto the "Reset" button. Then everything went white.

* * *

Nemo stared at the hole while laying on his back in the bed of golden flowers. The one at the top of the cavern. The one that they fell through to get down here. He raised his hand towards the hole. Then brought it down to his throat. His scarf was back in place, and the clothes he got from Sans and Papyrus were gone. "_**No no no!**_" He heard Chara cry. "_**I was **_**so **_**close! I almost wiped this pointless world from existence!**_" Weird. Why could he hear Chara as a ghost now?

"Chara, it's over, please stop." He heard Frisk say. That prompted Nemo to stand up. Huh, he was still feeling tired. He staggered over to the two younger humans.

"_**Never! I won't stop until this world… is… huh…**_" Said Chara as they turned to look over at Nemo. "_**Well that's interesting.**_" Frisk looked over at him and gasped, bringing their hands up to their mouth.

"What?" Asked Nemo.

"N-Nemo…" Said Frisk softly. "Y-your eye…"

"Huh?" Asked Nemo as he brought his hand up to his right eye. He stopped when he felt the scar tissue just beneath it.

"_**Oh that's not all! Your L.O.V.E hasn't changed either!**_" Laughed Chara. "_**My my! This is quite interesting!**_"

**DUALTALE**

**_Page 40 End_**

**Chapter 6 End**


	42. Chapter 7, Page 1

Nemo's head felt like it was spinning as he tried to comprehend the information he'd just received. Despite Frisk's reset, he was stuck like this. His injuries had all healed, and he had his scarf again, but he still had his artificial eye that he created with magic, as well as the scar left behind from when Chara removed the real one. But worst of all, his L.O.V.E was still twenty five. Frisk tried to comfort him, but it wasn't helping. Neither was Chara's taunting for that matter. "_**I can't believe that after everything you did to save the world, **_**this **_**is the thanks it gives you, it's hilarious honestly**_." Laughed Chara.

Nemo grit his teeth as his temper started to flare up. He stomped over to Chara and glared down at them. Chara's eyes widened as they stared up at him. As he stared them down, a shadow fell over his face, darkening most of his face, save for his eyes, which Chara could feel boring straight into them. "If you don't shut up _right now_, we're gonna find out if it's possible to _kill _a ghost." He growled.

That shut Chara up, as they wholeheartedly believed that he'd follow through on his threats. Frisk then stepped between them. "Please, no more fighting. That's what caused all of this to happen in the first place." They said. The other humans scoffed and looked away. Frisk looked at both of them before sighing and turning their attention to Chara. "Chara, please tell me, why did you want to kill everyone?"

Chara's head whipped around as they shouted at them. "_**I told you why!**_" Their eyes turned black as bllack sludge oozed out of them. "_**I believed in the monsters and they proved that they're no better than humanity! That's why both species need to be erased from existence!**_"

Nemo stood to the side and watched with his arms crossed. He wasn't sure what Frisk was doing, but he knew that he'd be ready to step in and obliterate Chara should they so much as look like they're gonna do anything shady. "Maybe you're right." Said Frisk softly. "But I don't want to believe that, not yet. So, how about we make a promise?"

Chara's eyes turned to normal as they stared at them. "_**What kind of promise?**_" They asked suspiciously.

"The same one we made to As-… to Flowey." Said Frisk. "We won't kill anyone this time, and we'll achieve a 'happy end'. If we do that, would you be willing to give humans and monsters another chance?" Chara still seemed uncertain. "And if our way fails… I won't try to stop you."

"Frisk, I don't-." Said Nemo.

"_**Deal**_." Interrupted Chara.

Frisk smiled as they stuck their hand out to Chara, who stared at it for a moment before accepting it for a handshake. Frisk then pulled Chara in for a hug. As soon as Frisk embraced them, Chara immediately started trying to force them off. Nemo stared at the two of them and sighed. He brought his hand up and rubbed his fake eye as his thoughts began to wander. He then brought his other hand up to his scarf. It stayed there for a moment as he focused his attention back on the kids, as Chara continued to struggle against Frisk. He sighed and walked over to them. Frisk was surprised as Nemo put his scarf on their head, they pulled it off and looked at it. "Nemo?" They asked in confusion.

"Here, you can wear it." He said without looking at them. "Now c'mon, we've got a flower to talk to." He then started making his way to where Flowey would be. Frisk looked at the scarf one more time before hastily putting it on while running after him.

They went through the entranceway, and stopped when they saw a certain smiling flower. "_Really, Chara?_" He asked before making one of his scary faces. "_Well, do what you will, I'll be waiting for you!_"

"Sorry weed for brains, but Chara's taking a backseat this time around." Said Nemo. Flowey's face turned to normal as the duo had a little stare down before Flowey disappeared into the ground.

As soon as he did, Toriel appeared. "Hello… are you all right?" She asked.

Nemo stared at her for a moment before inhaling deeply and exhaling. He then forced a smile onto his face. "We're just fine." He said.

"You must be so lost and confused… ah, do not be afraid, my children. I am Toriel, caretaker of the RUINS." Explained Toriel. "I pass through here everyday to see if anyone has fallen down. You two are the first humans to come here in a long time. I will do my best to protect you during your time here. Come! I shall guide you through the catacombs."

"Thanks…" Said Nemo unenthusiastically as he and Frisk walked after Toriel while Chara just sort of hovered around Frisk. The four of them entered the next room. Toriel went up the stairs while the humans stopped in front of the glowing star. Frisk reached out and touched it.

"_**The shadow of the ruins looms above, filling you with determination**_." Said Chara.

"What… are you doing?" Asked Nemo drily.

"_**Narrating, it gets boring not being able to do anything**_." Said Chara.

"Whatever." Said Nemo as he rolled his eyes. "I suppose there are worse things you could be doing." The humans then walked up the stairs after Toriel.

They went to the next room, and stopped as Toriel started explaining. It was the exact same as in the first timeline, and Nemo swore he could feel his brain cells dying from having to listen to the _exact _same explanation. "_**You look like you're having fun**_." Joked Chara. "_**Maybe you should kill her? Then you wouldn't have to listen**_."

"_Isn't that your _mother_!?_" Nemo whispered.

Chara paused for a moment. "_**That's not my mother… not anymore**_." They said flatly.

Nemo was about to ask them to elaborate when Toriel's voice caught his attention. "Child?" She asked as she and Frisk stood next to the open doorway.

"Oh, sorry Toriel." Said Nemo as he jogged after her.

Nemo was lost in thought, only half listening to Toriel's explanation of this room, but that was fine since he already knew what to do. He and Frisk walked up to the levers and pulled them, causing the spikes blocking the pathway to retract. "Splendid!" Said Toriel. "I am so proud of you, little ones."

"_This is getting annoying."_ Thought Nemo.

"Let us move to the next room." Said Toriel. The four of them then continued to the next room. "As a human living in the UNDERGROUND, monsters may attack you. You will need to be prepared for this situation. However, worry not! The process is simple. When you encounter a monster, you will enter a FIGHT. While you are in a FIGHT, strike up a friendly conversation. Stall for time, I will come to resolve the conflict. Practice talking to the dummy." She then walked to the doorway leading to the next room and waited for them to engage with the dummy.

The humans approached the dummy, causing their souls to manifest. Before Nemo could do anything, something suddenly appeared in front of him. Four somethings actually. "What the…?" He said in confusion.

"What's wrong?" Asked Frisk, who also had the same things in front of them: large black buttons with the words "Fight", "Act", "Items", and "Mercy" printed on them. They reached out and pressed the Act button.

"_**DUMMY: ATK: 0 DEF: 0 A cotton heart and a button eye. You are the apple of my eye**_." Said Chara.

They both then looked at Nemo expectantly. Nemo hesitantly reached out and touched the Act button as well. "Hi?" He said weakly to the Dummy.

"_**You talk to the Dummy…**_" Said Chara. "_**It doesn't seem much for conversation**_."

"Stop narrating, it's distracting." Said Nemo flatly.

"_**No**_." Said Chara. "_**Toriel seems happy with you. YOU WON! You earned 0 EXP and 0 gold.**_"

Nemo's eye twitched in annoyance. "Ah, very good! You are both very good." Said Toriel. She then went through the doorway, with the humans following close behind. Frisk listened to Toriel's explanation of this room's 'puzzle' while Nemo turned to Chara for answers.

"What was with those buttons?" He asked.

"_**What do you mean**_?" Asked Chara without looking at him.

"What do you mean 'what do you mean'?" Muttered Nemo. "I never saw anything like that in the last two timelines, what are they?"

Chara looked at him for a moment before looking ahead. "_**It's hard to explain, but I guess that's just how you choose to do things, I guess? Those buttons cover the range of things you can do, Fight is for attacking, Act is for checking or talking or other non violent actions, Items is for your inventory, and Mercy is for sparing and fleeing.**_" They explained.

Nemo felt like he was hearing the tutorial for a video game. "Right…" He said flatly. He followed Frisk, who followed Toriel into the next room. As they entered the twisty part of the path, the duo's souls manifested.

"_**Froggit attacks you**_!" Said Chara as a Froggit appeared before them.

"Uh…" Said Nemo as he looked at the four buttons that appeared. After a moment, he settled on Act, and checked the creature.

"_**Froggit: ATK: 4 DEF: 5 Life is difficult for this enemy**_." Said Chara.

"What does that even mean?" Asked Nemo as he looked up at Chara. Then Toriel walked over and glared down at the Froggit, who looked away before wandering off, ending the fight. Nemo pinched the bridge of his nose as the Froggit walked away. "This is gonna be harder than I thought." He muttered as the three of them resumed following Toriel. They passed a sign on the wall when something caught Nemo's eye. He slowly walked backwards and looked at the sign.

"Is something wrong?" Asked Frisk.

"I… it's nothing." Said Nemo as he shook his head and followed them after Toriel, who was standing in front of the spiked bridge path.

"This is the puzzle, but…" Said Toriel. "Here, take my hand for a moment." Frisk took Toriel's hand, and Nemo took Frisk's as the goat monster led them safely through the dangerous path. "Puzzles seem a little dangerous for now." Explained Toriel as she hurried to the next room. The humans followed her.

"So what else is there to know?" Asked Nemo as Toriel explained the whole 'crossing the room alone' challenge.

"_**What do you mean**_?" Asked Chara.

"I dunno, like, what kind of 'Items' would I use?" Asked Nemo.

"_**Healing items like food mostly**_." Replied Chara. "_**It's also where you keep your armor and weapons**_."

"Wait, food is a healing item?" Asked Nemo.

"_**Yeah, it's made of magic, so it has magic effects, like regenerating your HP**_." Explained Chara.

"Ugh, and I thought the underground was weird before." Muttered Nemo. He then noticed that Toriel was walking away, while Frisk began to cross the room. Nemo sighed and followed them. They jogged across the room, stopping just before the pillar Toriel was hiding behind. He quickly looked behind the pillar to see her just standing there, pretending to not notice him. Nemo sighed, not having the patience to deal with someone like her. He walked back around to where Frisk was, and took two steps forward before Toriel suddenly came out from behind the pillar.

"Greetings, my children. Do not worry, I did not leave you." She said. "I was merely behind this pillar the whole time. Thank you for trusting me."

"No, really?" Asked Nemo sarcastically. He tuned out her short speech about independence and whatnot until she gave them the Cell phone, which Nemo promptly put in his pocket. Nemo considered pulling his phone out, and doing so involved a black screen type thing to appear before him. It was divided into two sections, the first section had his name, LV, HP, and his G printed out. Nemo grimaced at the sight of his LV. His eyes trailed down to the second section. In gray letters, the word 'ITEM' was printed, and in white letters, were the words 'STAT' and 'CELL'. "This is crazy." Groaned Nemo as he ran a hand through his messy white hair.

**Page 41 End**


	43. Chapter 7, Page 2

After a quick phone call from Toriel for leaving the room, Frisk approached the next star to save their location. "_**Playfully crinkling in the leaves, it fills you with determination**_." Said Chara.

"Shut up." It came out as more of a sigh than as actual words.

"_**Never**_." Replied Chara.

"C'mon guys, don't fight." Said Frisk.

"_**Sorry, but fighting's what I do best**_." Said Chara.

"Yeah, no kidding." Said Nemo drily. The ghost human and the taller human glared at each other.

"Guys!" Said Frisk worriedly. Nemo and Chara both let out a huff before looking away from each other.

"So, what now?" Asked Nemo.

"Candy?" Suggested Frisk as they pointed at the room with the monster candy.

"Candy." Agreed Nemo as the duo made their way towards the room, only to be stopped by a Whimsun. Nemo looked at the small monster before looking at the four buttons. He decided to start with "Act" and "Check". He blinked, and suddenly words appeared next to the monster. "_WHIMSUN - ATK 5 DEF 0 - This monster is too sensitive to fight._" It said.

"What the…?" Asked Nemo in confusion.

"I'm sorry…" Said Whimsun as a circle of large butterflies appeared around them.

When the butterflies vanished, Frisk used "Mercy" and "Spare". The Whimsun then flew away.

"_**You won! You earned 0 EXP and 0 Gold**_." Said Chara

"Huh…" Said Nemo. "So… candy?"

"Candy." Agreed Frisk. The duo entered the room and approached the candy bowl. They each took a piece of candy. They then doubled back and started making their way towards the other pathway. Just as they reached the entrance to the hall, they were stopped by being pulled into another Fight.

"_**Froggit hops close**_." Said Chara as a Froggit approached them.

Nemo's first action was to use "Check", which caused the words to appear again.. "_FROGGIT - ATK 4 DEF 5 - Life is difficult for this enemy._" It said.

"Ribbit, ribbit." Said the Froggit. It then bounced at them, but the humans dodged.

"_**Froggit doesn't seem to know why it's here**_." Said Chara.

Frisk decided to use "Compliment". "Hi there, you look nice today." Said Frisk cheerfully.

"_**Froggit didn't understand what you said, but it was flattered anyway**_." Said Chara.

The Froggit blushed deeply. "Ribbit..." It said before leaping at them again, but was easily dodged.

"_**Froggit seems reluctant to fight you**_." Said Chara. Nemo took advantage of that and spared the Froggit. "_**You won! You earned 0 EXP and 2 gold**_." Said Chara. Nemo walked over and picked up the 2 coins that the Froggit dropped before putting them in his pocket. The trio went to the next room and stopped. Nemo remembered this room. He took a few steps back before running and jumping over the trap. Frisk followed suit. They almost didn't make it, landing too close to the edge, causing part of the trap to give out and open behind them. Frisk let out a startled cry and flail their arms, but Nemo managed to grab them and pull them away before they fell.

"Thanks." They said.

"No problem." Said Nemo as he turned and continued walking. They entered the next room and just as they passed through the doorway, they heard their phone ring. Nemo pulled it out. "Hello?" He asked.

"Hello? This is Toriel." Said Toriel. "For no reason in particular… which do you prefer? Cinnamon or butterscotch? Wait. Do not tell me. Is it butterscotch?"

Nemo was quiet for a moment. "I can't wait to try your cinnamon butterscotch pie Toriel." He said softly.

"Huh? How did you-?" Nemo hung up on her.

"Let's go." Said Nemo as he approached the first rock. After pushing it to the pressure plate, the phone rang again. Nemo picked it up and put it to his ear.

"My child, how did you know I was planning on making a pie with both cinnamon _and _butterscotch?" Asked Toriel.

"Call it a gut instinct. I guess you could say guessing was easy as pie." Said Nemo.

The sound of laughter could be heard from the other side of the phone. "That was clever my child, did your gut also tell you that I had a penchant for puns?"

"Perhaps." Said Nemo as he and Frisk continued walking. They stopped when they reached the area with multiple trap holes. "Look, this is fun and all, but I need to go." He said as he hung up on her. He put the phone in his pocket, and then on his first try, walked through the puzzle. Frisk managed to, quite literally, follow in his footsteps and clear the puzzle with ease. The trio reached the set of three rock puzzles. Together Frisk and Nemo started moving the first two into place. As Nemo moved his rock, his soul manifested as he was pulled into a fight.

"_**Moldsmal and Moldsmal block the way**_." Said Chara.

"Y'know, it'd be nice if you could say something actually helpful." Said Nemo.

"_**Why would I need to? You can just spare them right now**_." Said Chara.

"Oh." Said Nemo as he quickly used Mercy. The Moldsmals walked away.

"_**You won! You earned 0 EXP and 0 gold**_." Said Chara. Nemo sighed as he finished pushing his rock. The three of them then moved to the final, and sentient, rock.

Nemo crouched down and prepared to push it. " "WHOA there, pardner! Who said you could push me around?" Asked the rock.

"Sorry, but could you move over to that pressure plate?" Asked Nemo. "We need it to be pushed down so we can leave."

"HMM? So you're ASKIN' me to move over?" Asked the rock.

"Please?" Asked Frisk.

"Okay, just for you, pumpkin." Said the rock as it moved to the pressure plate. Once the spikes were down, the trio made their way over, but just as they reached the bridge, the rock moved, and the spikes came back up.

Nemo sighed in frustration. "We need you to stay on the plate long enough for us to cross." He said.

"Alright, alright." Said the rock as it went back to the plate. The humans then crossed the bridge and went to the next room. This room was the one with the third save star as well as the cheese and mouse hole. Frisk approached the star and placed their hand on it.

"_**Knowing the mouse might one day leave its hole and get the cheese…**_" Said Chara. "_**It fills you with determination**_." Nemo sighed and rolled his eyes.

"C'mon, let's get through the next room." He said as he resumed walking. The duo walked into the next room, stopping at the sight of Napstablook. Nemo sighed again before crouching down in front of the fake sleeping ghost. "Alright you, wakey wakey." He said as he pushed the ghost. The humans' souls manifested, causing the Fight to start.

"_**Here comes Napstablook**_." Said Chara. Frisk decided to go first and use Check. "_**Napstablook: ATK: 10 DEF: 10 This monster doesn't seem to have a sense of humor**_."

"Really, Chara?" Asked Nemo drily.

"Oh, I'm _real_ funny." Said Napstablook.

"I-." Said Nemo, but then paused. "Wait, what?"

"_**Did they just-**_?" Asked Chara, but was cut off as tears started flying at the group.

"Why are you dodging!?" Asked Nemo as they all jumped out of the way.

"_**I may be incorporeal, but magic can still hurt me**_!" Shouted Chara. The tears stopped, and it was Nemo's turn. He pressed the Act button and looked at his options. Check had already been done, so that wouldn't help, neither would Threat. Flirt was a definite no, leaving one option: Cheer. Nemo looked at Napstablook and smiled, giving him a thumbs up, doing his best to keep his internal cringing from becoming external.

"Heh…" Said Napstablook as he simply floated there.

"_**Napstablook looks just a little bit better**_." Said Chara. Then it was Frisk's turn. "_**Ooh, use Flirt**_." They said.

"No, do not." Said Nemo.

Frisk settled on Cheer. "Which vegetable should you never invite on a boat?" They asked. "A leak!"

This earned a snicker from Nemo. "Heh heh…" Said Napstablook as he summoned weird tears that followed the duo. They managed to avoid his attack.

"_**Cheering seems to have improved Napstablook's mood again**_." Said Chara. Nemo decided to use Cheer, but before he could do anything, Chara spoke up. "_**Napstablook wants to show you something**_."

"Let me try…" They said. Their tears floated upwards, forming a hat. "I call it Dapperblook… do you like it?"

"Nice." Said Nemo. Frisk smiled and gave two thumbs up.

"Ah gee…" Said Napstablook."I usually come to the Ruins because there's nobody around… but today I met somebody nice… oh, I'm rambling again. I'll get out of your way." The ghost vanished, clearing their way.

"Well… that was eventful…" Said Nemo.

"_**You know… you could have just used your magic to blow them away. I did tell you that magic affects ghosts**_." Said Chara.

"I know." Said Nemo as he turned to look at them. "But, I didn't want to." Chara stared for a moment before looking away with a huff. "Anywho, let's keep going." Said Nemo. That's when he noticed the fork in the road and remembered what each one led to. He contemplated for a moment.

"What's wrong?" Asked Frisk.

"Deciding whether or not I want to go to the spider bake sale." Explained Nemo as he made a grossed out face. "I don't want to eat spiders, that's gross."

"_**I could think of worse things**_." Said Chara. Nemo decided that he was probably better off not asking.

"We have to go to the bake sale, that's how we get Muffet to spare us, remember?" Said Frisk.

"I know, I know…" Said Nemo. He sighed. "Alright, let's go get some spider snacks."

The trio entered the Spider Bake sale. Nemo looked down at the wooden sign. "All proceeds go to real spiders…" He muttered. He reached into his pocket, only to find that he only had two gold. "That… is problematic." He said.

"Maybe we can double back later when we have seven gold?" Suggested Frisk.

"Sure." Said Nemo. The two exited the sale, and their souls manifested as a Vegetoid confronted them.

Frisk checked the monster. "_**Vegetoid ATK: 6 DEF: 6. Serving size: 1 monster. Not monitored by the U.S.D.A**_." Said Chara.

"What does that even mea-HEEN!" Said Nemo as he jumped out of the way of Vegetoid's flying veggies.

"_**Vegetoid's here for your health**_." Said Chara.

Nemo gave them a flat look before checking his Act options. Check was done already, and he didn't trust Devour and Dinner, so he decided to go for Talk. "Uh, hi?" He said.

"Plants can't talk dummy." Said the Vegetoid.

"Hold up." Said Nemo as he took a moment to register what that monster said. But before he could question further, he and Frisk had to scatter to avoid being pummeled by produce.

It was Frisk's turn. They selected Dinner, before patting their stomach. "_**You pat your stomach, Vegetoid offers a healthy meal**_." Said Chara.

"Eat your greens." Said the Vegetoid as more produce came flying. The trio noticed a vegetable made of green magic flying around, but they failed to catch it. They managed to dodge most of the normal attacks, but a tomato smacked Frisk over the head. The trio noticed a green vegetable flying around, but they failed to catch it. The Vegetoid cackled softly. Nemo decided to try patting his stomach. "Eat your greens." This time it was a rain of carrots. Frisk noticed one of them was made of green magic. They managed to grab it, restoring some of their Hp. The Vegetoid cackled some more before Frisk Spared them.

"_**You won! You earned 0 EXP and 4 gold**_." Said Chara. Nemo sighed as he grabbed the money before walking over and trying to rub some of the tomato juice out of Frisk's hair. As he was doing so, he heard their phone ring.

Nemo pulled the device out. "Hello?" Asked Toriel. "I just realized that it has been a while since I have cleaned up. I was not expecting to have company so soon. There are probably a lot of thin_gs _lying about here and there, you can pick them up, but do not carry more than you need. Someday you might see something you really like. You will want to leave room in your pockets for that." Thephone then clicked as she hung up.

"Ugh, the deja vu is real." Said Nemo. "Kinda spooky to be honest."

"_**This is our third time hearing it**_." Said Chara. Nemo contemplated that for a moment before giving them a side eyed glare. Suddenly his and Frisk's souls manifested as a Moldsmal and a Misgosp approached them. Nemo looked down and pressed Act, before seeing two names, Misgop's which was normal, and Moldsmal's which was normal.

"Uh…" He said as he pointed at them.

"Yellow names means they can be Spared." Said Frisk.

"Oh." Said Nemo as he used Spare, causing the Moldsmal to walk away.

"Swing your arms baby." Said the Misgop as he simply danced.

"_**Misgop doesn't have a care in the world**_." Explained Chara as Frisk Spared them. "_**You won! You earned 0 EXP and 2 gold**_." Nemo picked up the coins.

"That makes eight." He said as he started making his way back to the bake sale. He paused when he noticed something moving in the corner of his eye. "We're being followed."

"_**It's Flowey**_." Explained Chara.

"Annoying little…" Nemo muttered before he went into the bakesale. He returned moments later, donut in hand. The duo then continued their trek.

**Page 42 End**


	44. Chapter 7, Page 3

"_**Hey**_." Said Chara as Nemo and Frisk walked while they floated behind them. "_**I'm talking to you, $$hole**_."

"You could try saying my name." Said Nemo drily.

"_**Don't wanna**_." Huffed Chara with their arms crossed.

"_This is the person who almost eradicated the entire world?" _Thought Nemo as he looked at them over his shoulder.

"Come on Nemo." Said Frisk as they tugged on his wrist. "Be nice."

"What did I-?" Said Nemo before stopping and sighing. "Fine. What do you want, Chara?"

They turned and looked at him with a serious expression. "_**How does your magic work**_?" Asked Chara.

"Why should I tell you?" Asked Nemo with narrow eyes.

"Nemo." Said Frisk.

"What?" Asked Nemo. Frisk stared at him. Nemo sighed again. But before he could say anything, he stopped when he noticed that this was the area of pit traps with the ribbon and lever. Nemo scratches the back of his head as he looked at the traps, trying to remember where both of the aforementioned items were located.

"_**We've got this**_." Said Chara as they and Frisk stepped into one of the traps.

They returned moments later, ribbon in hand. "Nice." Said Nemo, causing Frisk to giggle in amusement while Chara did a proud huff and crossed their arms again. Nemo rolled his eyes again, before looking down in surprise as his and Frisk's souls manifested.

"_**Misgop crawled up close**_." Said Chara. The humans turned to see a Misgop and a Moldsmal.

Nemo went first, Checking the Misgop, causing words to appear by it. "_MISGOP - ATK: 7 DEF: 5. He isn't evil, just with the wrong crowd._" It said.

"Squorch." Said the Moldsmal.

"Heed the swarm." Said Misgop.

Bugs flew around the humans while the Moldsmal flung globs of goop at them. Fortunately they managed to dodge. Frisk used Talk. "Come on, we don't need to fight." They said.

"I don't care." Said the Misgop. More bugs came flying while Moldsmal threw goop that exploded into smaller balls of goop. Their attacks still failed to hit the humans though.

"_**Moldsmal is ruminating**_." Said Chara.

"Thanks, that's real helpful." Said Nemo as he used Spare, causing the Moldsmal to leave.

"La la la, just be yourself." Said Misgop happily as he did a little dance.

Nemo was shocked by the abrupt personality shift. That's when he remembered what the Check said. "'_He isn't evil, just with the wrong crowd.' So once he's alone, he doesn't want to fight."_ Thought Nemo.

"_**Misgop doesn't have a care in the world**_." Said Chara. Frisk then spared Misgop. "_**You won! You earned 0 EXP and 2 gold**_." Nemo picked up the two coins the monsters left behind. Frisk then dropped into the pit with the lever. There was a clunking sound as the pathway opened up for them. Frisk climbed out of the tunnel and went over to Nemo, holding out the ribbon for him. He smiled before tying the ribbon on them. Frisk then looked over before walking over and going into a third hole. Nemo watched in confusion until he saw Napstablook fly out a moment later. Frisk then climbed back up and they were able to continue on their way.

They found themselves in that room with colorful letters. Nemo walked over and observed the sign. "The far door is not an exit. It simply marks a rotation in perspective." Read Nemo.

"Wait, you can read the signs now?" Asked Frisk.

"Yup." Said Nemo. "Probably an effect of when Chara… well…" He reached up and rubbed the area around his right eye. He lowered his hand. "Right… back to work." It took some time, as well as a fight with some Misgops, Vegetoids, and a Moldsmal but eventually the trio managed to make their way through the puzzle, with another fourteen gold in hand, making for a total of seventeen. Frisk did wind up taking an onion to the face though, and while the Vegetoid's green attacks had healed some of it, there was still a bruise forming.

"_**Just use one of the monster candies**_." Said Chara.

"How is candy gonna help?" Asked Nemo.

"_**What, didn't you know? Monster food has medicinal properties**_." Said Chara.

"No, I didn't know that, why would I know that, whatever gave you the idea that I knew that?" Asked Nemo.

"_**I… well…**_" Said Chara as they realized he had a point. "_**Well it's your own fault for being too dumb to think outside the box**_!"

"Dear god you are obnoxious." Said Nemo as he paused at the fork in the road. To the North was Toriel's home, and to the East was that area with the Toy Knife. Nemo stood there for a moment before going East. Frisk and Chara watched leave before seeing him return with the knife in hand.

"_**What did you grab that for**_?" Asked Chara suspiciously. "_**Are you planning on using it to ki**_-?"

"Don't be an idiot." Said Nemo. "This belonged to the cyan soul, I'm gonna return it."

"...Patience." Said Frisk.

"Huh?" Asked Nemo.

"_**That's the cyan soul's attribute**_." Explained Chara. "_**Every soul has one, which can be told by the color. Like how Frisk's is Determination**_."

"Oh…" Said Nemo as he stuck the Toy Knife in his pocket. "That's nice."

The trio went North through the doorway. "Oh dear, that took longer than I thought it would." They heard a familiar voice say. Toriel walked up to them. "How did you get here my children? Are you hurt?" "There, there, I will heal you." he extended her hand and a warm feeling passed over them as Frisk's injury vanished. "I should not have left you alone for so long. It was irresponsible to try and surprise you like this. Err…" Said Toriel as she made an embarrassed expression. "Well, I suppose I cannot hide it any longer. Come, small one!" She then began to walk away to where she came from.

"_This is gonna drive me nuts."_ Thought Nemo as they started following her. They stopped at another save star.

"_**Seeing such a cute, tidy house in the Ruins gives you determination.**_" Said Chara as Frisk saved their progress to this spot. Nemo rolled his eyes, accepting that he'd have to get used to them talking like that as the trio walked into the house.

"Do you smell that? Surprise!" She said cheerfully. "It is butterscotch-cinnamon pie. I thought we should celebrate your arrival. I want you to have a nice time living here. So I will hold off on snail pie for tonight." Nemo did his best not to gag at the thought of snail pie. "Here, I have another surprise for you." Said Toriel as she walked to the right and down a hall. Frisk and Nemo followed her. She waited for them in the hall and held out her hand. "This is it." Frisk took the hand and walked with her down the hall, Nemo close behind while Chara just kinda hovered. They stopped in front of the first door. "A room of your own, I'm afraid you will have to share, but I hope you will like it."

"I think we'll manage." Said Nemo.

"I love it." Said Frisk.

"_**Third time around and I **_**still **_**think this place sucks**_." Said Chara drily, but was ignored. They crossed their arms and huffed as Toriel petted Frisk.

"The pie's burning, Toriel." Said Nemo drily as he remembered this scenario from the first timeline. Toriel smelled the air and realized that he was right. "O-oh my! Excuse me!" Said Toriel as she moved past them and down the hall. The humans went into the room and started getting ready for the night. Nemo reached up and ran a hand through his messy white locks as he made his way over to the lamp. Frisk kicked their shoes off before jumping into the bed. They nuzzled into the scarf before rolling over and started trying to fall asleep. Nemo gave them a weak smile as he killed the lights.

"_**Oi, I was using that**_." Said Chara, who had been floating around and looking at all the stuff in the room.

"Tough." Said Nemo as he sighed and leaned his back against the wall opposite from the bed before sliding down the floor. Chara puffed their cheeks out and floated in front of him. Despite the darkness of the room, Nemo could still see them with relative ease. "What?"

"_**I'm bored. And the dead don't sleep. So since I can't see what I'm doing in this darkness, you're going to have to entertain me**_." Said Chara.

"...F*ck off." Muttered Nemo under his breath as he crossed his arms and leaned his head forward in an attempt to get comfortable before trying to sleep.

"_**Oh my! Such language towards a child**_!" Said Chara with a mock gasp. Nemo responded by flipping them off. "_**Well… if you can't entertain me, maybe I'll just possess Frisk and find something else… or rather, some**_**one** _**else to entertain myse- urk**_!" Chara was cut off as Nemo's hand, which was glowing white, wrapped itself around their throat. He opened his magic eye to glare at them. "_**Joking! I was joking**_!" They wheezed. Nemo released them and crossed his arms again. Chara rubbed their throat. "_**You know, I really am curious, how **_**does **_**your magic work**_?" Nemo didn't bother responding as he closed his eye. "_**Come on man! I'm bored! And I'm not letting you sleep until you do something to entertain me**_!"

Nemo shifted a little bit before finally getting comfortable to fall asleep, despite Chara's protests.

* * *

Death… Dust flying everywhere. Nemo was in Snowdin, though perhaps Dustin was a better name for this place, since it seemed like there was more of that than dust. Nemo couldn't move as the sounds of screams haunted his ears. "_Honestly… it's pathetic._" Suddenly a thorny vine wrapped around Nemo's neck and yanked him down to Flowey's eye level. "_I can't believe you just stood by and let Chara kill everyone._"

"N-no, I-" Said Nemo.

Flowey smiled menacingly at him as he looked over Nemo's shoulder at something. "_Looks like they can't believe it either_." He said. Flowey used the vine and forced Nemo back up and turned him around. His eyes widened at the sight of everyone. Toriel… a large gash in her midsection. Papyrus was holding his own head. Undyne was slowly turning to goo. Most of Mettaton's body was destroyed, he was just balancing on one leg, and his left arm was gone. Alphys's eyes were cracked to the point that he couldn't see her eyes. Asgore was sporting a slash that mirrored Toriel's. And Sans, with a chest slash that was profusely bleeding as his body slowly crumpled to dust.

"_**WHY?!" **_They all demanded at once, the volume of their combined voices making the inside of Nemo's head shake. "_**Why did you let us die!? Why didn't you stop them!?"**_

"Stop… please…" Nemo said weakly… tears falling from his eyes. He wanted to crawl into a ball and hide from it all, but he couldn't even make his finger twitch. All he could do was listen to them continue to scream at him. Suddenly there were multiple familiar slashing sounds. Nemo's eyes widened as they all faded to dust and vanished. In their place was Chara, who stared at him with an evil smile, black tears falling from their eyes. Their knife was powdered with the dust of countless monsters, his stolen scarf blowing in the wind.

"_**They're right you know, you failed Frisk, and now the dust of countless monsters is on their hands, as well as the memory of those atrocities forever lodged in their mind. I hope you're proud of yourself**_." Said Chara. Nemo blinked and in their place was Frisk, who was crying.

"Why…?" They asked. "Why didn't you help me? Why did you let Chara take me?" They slowly approached him and raised the knife as their face became dark and twisted like Chara's. "_**It's all your fault**_!" They then brought the knife down.

* * *

Nemo screamed as he jolted upright. He clutched the fabric of his shirt as he tried to calm his breathing. "_Dream! Just a dream! More like a nightmare actually…" _He thought.

"_**So… are you done**_?" Asked Chara. Nemo looked up to see them hiding under Frisk's bed. Frisk was standing on the bed in an awkward way to avoid familiar white objects from skewering them. Nemo blinked as he looked around to see a combination of spears and bones sticking out of the walls and floor, while parts of the room were covered in white fire. Nemo sighed as he desummoned the magic. The trio hear the thudding of footsteps. The door opened with a bang. They turned to see Toriel standing in the doorway, a look of worry in her eyes.

"My children, are you alright!?" She asked worriedly.

"We're fine, we're fine." Said Nemo as he waved off her concerns. "Just a bad dream."

"Oh… would you like to talk ab-?" She asked.

"No." Said Nemo, cutting her off.

"Ah… I see…" She said as she stood up. "Very well then, I shall leave you to rest. Don't be afraid to come to me if you ever need me."

Chara snorted. "_**I can't believe **_**you **_**of all people are saying something like that**_." They said sourly. The humans looked at them, but they didn't elaborate on their statement. Toriel, who couldn't see nor hear them, simply ignored Chara and left the room, closing the door behind herself. Nemo sighed and rested his head against the wall. "_**So… what **_**was **_**your dream about**_?"

Nemo gave them a tired look, lacking even the energy to glare. "Take a wild freaking guess." He said sourly.

"_**Ah…**_" Said Chara as they nodded their head.

Frisk jumped off the bed and walked over to him. "Nemo…?" They asked worriedly.

Nemo looked over at them, flinching slightly at the sight of them in that scarf, but he took a deep breath and pulled them in for a hug. "Dooon't worry 'bout me." He said tiredly. "Just get some sleep. We've got three days of this little house ahead of us."

"Mkay." Said Frisk, their voice muffled by their scarf. They exited the hug and went back to bed. Nemo sighed as he watched them lay down before Chara floated down next to him.

"_**So…**_" They said, but Nemo's glare caused them to trail off. "_**Nevermind**_." Nemo shifted away from them, but made no attempt to go back to sleep.

When Toriel came in with their pie, he didn't bother reacting, and pretended to sleep.

_**Page 43 End**_


	45. Chapter 7, Page 4

Three days. Three _long _days. Three long days living at Toriel's house. Nemo couldn't stand this place, it was boring. And having the image of Toriel's dusting body glued to the inside of his eyelids did not help him. Nor did waking up every night in a cold sweat, the scent and feeling of dust stuck in his nose and skin. But the worst part, the _very _worst part, was Chara. Seeing them float around Frisk, constantly narrating the most pointless and asinine things. It made Nemo want to _scream_. He wanted to throttle the little brat for what happened, but he knew that no matter what he did, it wouldn't make a difference. He didn't know how exactly Chara had latched themselves onto Frisk, but they were here, and they had no intention of leaving. Honestly he wasn't even sure if they knew how to leave Frisk's body/soul. At least they were willing to stick to riding shotgun and let Frisk stay in the driver's seat.

On another note, three nights of terrible sleep was starting to show, as Nemo stood in front of that large mirror in the hallway, poking at the dark circles forming around his eyes. "_**It's you**_." Said Chara.

"F*ck off." Said Nemo drily as he flipped them off.

"_**Careful, don't want Frisk learning words from you**_." Said Chara.

"F*ck off with two hands." Said Nemo as he used both hands to flip them off.

"_**Wow, you **_**really** _**don't like me, huh**_?" Asked Chara.

"Wow, it took you that long to figure it out? And here I thought you were smart." Said Nemo drily.

"_**At least I'm not making myself look like a crazy person**_." Said Chara as they covered their mouth, snickered and pointed over Nemo's shoulder.

Nemo looked where they were pointing to see Toriel standing there with a very concerned expression. "My child… are you feeling alright?" She asked.

Nemo's eye twitched as Chara continued to snicker until Nemo grabbed them by their throat without even looking and slammed them through the wall. Unfortunately, the part of the wall he put them through had the mirror, causing cracks to appear in the reflective surface. "I'm just _swell_ Toriel. I'm _mirror_-ly a little sleep deprived, you don't _goat _to worry about me." He said as he forced a grin.

His puns managed to break Toriel out of her concern as she let out a small laugh. "If you say so, my child…" She said as she turned and walked away.

Nemo sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, only to pull away in disgust as he noticed the blood that was not only on his hand, but was now on his face as well. He lowered his hand to stare into the damaged mirror.

He couldn't say he was a fan of what was staring back.

* * *

After cleaning his hands and face, Nemo exited the kitchen to see Frisk standing there, staring up at him. "What's up Frisk?" He asked.

"It's time." Said Frisk.

Nemo stared down at them for a moment. "Guess it is, huh?" He asked as he scratched the back of his head. "Alright, go save for us, I'll talk to Toriel." Frisk nodded their head as Chara floated next to him.

"_**Starting to rely on their power huh**_?" They asked. "_**Planning on killing her a few times before resetting to undo it**_?"

"Don't be an idiot." Muttered Nemo as he walked over to Toriel, who was sitting in her chair and reading.

"Oh, hello my child, do you need something?" She asked.

"I-." Said Nemo, but was cut off when his stomach growled.

"Would you like something to eat?" Asked Toriel with a chuckle.

Nemo stared for a second. "Is there any pie leftover? Maybe get some for Frisk too." He said.

"An excellent idea my child." Said Toriel as she stood up and went to the kitchen. As she left, Nemo felt a wave of warmth, meaning that Frisk had saved.

They walked up to Nemo. "Did she go to the door?" They asked.

"Not exactly." Said Nemo.

"What do you mean?" Asked Frisk. Nemo didn't bother responding, as Toriel returned soon after Frisk asked with two pieces of her butterscotch-cinnamon pie. "Nemo, what-?"

"Might as well enjoy one last nice meal." Said Nemo tiredly.

Frisk gave him a concerned look. "If you say so." They said as the two of them sat down to eat their pie. Once the food was eaten, Nemo turned his attention to Toriel.

"We're leaving." He said.

"Wh-what?" Asked Toriel.

"Frisk and I, we're not staying in the ruins anymore. No offence but this place sucks." Said Nemo.

"I'm afraid I take some offence to that." Said Toriel stiffly.

"Yeah… not sorry. C'mon Frisk, we can show ourselves out." Said Nemo as he stood up.

"_**What are you doing**_!?" Demanded Chara. "_**This isn't how we handled things in the last two timelines**_!"

"That sounds like a 'you problem'." Said Nemo as he made his way towards the stairs, with Frisk walking next to him.

"My children, you will not just walk out of here because you don't feel like staying anymore!" Said Toriel.

Nemo stopped. "Toriel, I appreciate what you've done, but nothing's going to be solved by us just sitting here. We stayed as long as we did to be nice, but really we could have left whenever we wanted."

"My chil-!" Said Toriel.

"I am _not _your child!" Snapped Nemo as he looked over his shoulder to glare at her.

"Nemo… please don't shout at her." Said Frisk as they tugged at his hand. Nemo didn't even bother to turn his head to look at them but instead gazed down at them through the corner of his eye. Frisk instinctively flinched.

Nemo put his hands in his pockets and started walking. His head was killing him. His brain felt like it was full of static. It was making him increasingly irritable. The humans made their way down the stairs and into the hallway. They didn't get far when they heard Chara let out a cry. "_**Watch out**_!" The duo didn't have time to react as a fireball whizzed past Nemo's head, singing a few white hairs. The humans turned to see Toriel standing behind them, her arm extended towards them as fire burned in the palm of her hand.

"Do you two truly wish to leave this place? The monsters in the ruins are not like the ones out there. The monsters in the rest of the underground are strong. They will kill you. And if they don't Asgore will." She said.

"I'd like to see them try." Said Nemo drily.

"Nemo…" Said Frisk.

Toriel narrowed her eyes. "Very well, then you must face me, here and now. If you win, and prove you are strong enough to survive on your own, I shall let you leave. But if I win, I will destroy the exit, and you will never be able to leave. Is that understood."

"Nemo!" Said Frisk.

"Deal." Said Nemo.

"_NEMO!_" Cried Frisk.

"What is it Fri-?" Asked Nemo as he turned to look at them.

_SLAP!_

Everyone else stared in shock. Frisk was panting as they held their arm to the side. Nemo's head turned ever so slightly to the side as he brought his hand up to where Frisk struck him. This was the first time he'd ever seen Frisk, the real one anyway, do _anything _violent. It was a shock to say the least. "Nemo… please… you need to stop… you've… changed, so much. I want you to go back to the person you used to be." They said, tears welling in their eyes.

"I… Frisk, I don't think I can be that person." Said Nemo as his hand moved from his cheek to his magic eye. "Not anymore, anyway." Frisk looked at the ground as the tears in their eyes streamed down their face. Nemo knelt down and hugged them. "But… I guess it wouldn't hurt to try.

Frisk was quiet for a moment before returning the hug. The two let their hug continue for a short bit before separating. Nemo stood up and faced Toriel. "Alright, now that my head's a little clearer, let's go." He said.

"Go?" Asked Toriel.

"To the door of course. That area is far better for a fight than this cramped hallway, right?" Asked Nemo.

"I suppose there is validity in your words." Replied Toriel.

"Let's go then." Said Nemo as he extended a hand to Frisk. Frisk stared for a moment before smiling and taking it. The three of them made their way to the Ruins' exit. Nemo stared at the large door. "Well, here we are again."

"Again?" Asked Toriel in confusion. "What do you mean m-... child?"

"You could have the decency to use my name instead of just calling me child." Said Nemo as he turned back to the boss monster.

"Very well… Nemo. Are you ready to prove yourself?" Asked Toriel.

"Do you know how easy it'd be to just walk out this door and ignore this whole ordeal?" Asked Nemo with a shrug. "I mean, it'd save us all a lot of trouble, especially since we all know you're going to lose."

"I did not take you as the arrogant type." Said Toriel.

"I've already fought you twice, and won both times. I've seen you die, Toriel. I doubt anything special is going to occur from this fight." Said Nemo.

"What are you saying? Do you know something that I don't?" Asked Toriel.

"Oh, I'm sure you would just Level Of ViolencE it if I told you, wouldn't you?" Asked Nemo.

Toriel was quiet. Chara was not. In fact, they were laughing. "_**Wow! Gotta admit, that was kinda funny**_!" They said.

"I can not say I find humor in that joke." Said Toriel stiffly.

"Can't say I do either. You'd have to have a _reaaally _messed up sense of humor to find that funny." Said Nemo as he winked his left eye closed at Chara, who simply responded by sticking their tongue out at him. "But, I think we've spent enough time screwing around, it's time to start this fight."

"As you wish." Said Toriel. Suddenly Nemo's soul manifested in front of him.

"Frisk, let me handle this." Said Nemo.

"...Alright." They said.

Nemo started by Checking Toriel. "_TORIEL - ATK: 80 DEF: 80. Knows what's best for you._" Read the white words. Toriel fired two streams of fire. Nemo simply had to sidestep into the right position to avoid being hit.

"You missed." He said drily. He reached out and pressed the Mercy button, followed by using Spare. Toriel didn't respond, instead she simply waved a hand in front of her, summoning flames that launched at Nemo before bouncing off the walls. Frisk ducked into a corner and covered their head, trying to avoid being hit. Nemo kept an eye on them while continuing to side step her fireballs. "Watch where you're aiming, you almost hit Frisk." He said

"_**Toriel is acting aloof**_." Said Chara.

"Shove it Chara, let me focus." Said Nemo before using Spare again.

"C-Chara?" Asked Toriel, causing her expression to waver for a moment before regaining focus. Flames began to fall from the sky at random. The randomness made them harder to avoid, and Nemo had to block two fireballs with the back of his wrist. Nemo shook his hand a little, before using Spare again.

"_This is getting old." _He thought tiredly. Toriel waved a hand in front of her, summoning flames that launched at Nemo before bouncing off the walls. Nemo avoided these just as easily as last time.

"_**Toriel takes a deep breath**_." Said Chara.

"Shut uuup…" Replied Nemo as he used Spare for a fourth time. Toriel seemed confused, but attacked nonetheless with the same pattern as before. Nemo avoided the attack and used Spare for a fifth time.

"What are you doing?" Asked Toriel as the walls were set ablaze and more flames rained down. Frisk let out a startled cry as they moved away from the wall they were next to. Nemo used his arm to shield them from two more fireballs. The pain that the flames caused were incredibly dull. He stared at his arm, which was mildly burnt from her attacks. It looked like it should've hurt more than it did.

"_**Toriel looks through you**_." Said Chara, prompting Nemo to shove them away before pressing Spare again.

"Attack or run away!" Shouted Toriel. She used the hand wave and bouncing flames combo, which was avoided with ease.

"_**Toriel takes a deep breath**_." Said Chara.

"You know what…" Said Nemo as a shadow fell over his face.

"Nemo…?" Asked Frisk.

Nemo's hair turned dark as his hand began to glow with magic. "Oh my…" Said Toriel.

Nemo reached out with both hands and gripped the Act and Item buttons. He gripped them in both hands and squeezed.

"_**What are you doing...**_?" Asked Chara. Their question was answered as the buttons shattered in Nemo's hands. "_**WHAT ARE YOU DOING**_!?" Nemo then did the same to his Fight and Mercy buttons.

"I am _done_ playing by this world's rules." Said Nemo as his hair returned to white and he stared at Toriel. "From now on, I'm making my own rules. No more turns. Now… let's begin the real fight."

**Page 44 End**


	46. Chapter 7, Page 5

"Attack or run away." Ordered Toriel. She waved both her hands, creating fireballs that launched around the area. Nemo crossed his arms and closed his eyes before sitting down on the ground with his legs crossed as flames continued to fly, the occasional one striking him, not that it did much. "What are you proving this way?" She asked. It continued in a loop between them. Toriel would shout, throw fire, try to get Nemo to act, but he refused, he just sat there and took everything she threw at him. Going off of the sickened look on Frisk's face, Chara was starting to be grateful that they didn't have a sense of smell, or a stomach.

"_**I know this guy has always been a bit wack, but this is downright insane**_!" They exclaimed as the one sided fight continued.

"Is it?" Asked Frisk.

"_**What do you mean**_?" Asked Chara as they looked down at the younger human.

"Look." Said Frisk as they pointed at Nemo. Chara followed where they were pointing, to see Nemo sitting there, not moving an inch as fireballs continued to fly at and around him. It took a moment, but Chara connected the dots.

"_**The attacks aren't hitting him as much**_." They said. Frisk nodded.

"I know you want to go home, but..." Said Toriel, catching the duo's attention. "But please… go upstairs now… I will take good care of you both. I know we do not have much, but… we can have a good life here."

"I refuse." Said Nemo with a neutral expression.

"Why are you making this so difficult? Please, go upstairs." Said Toriel. Nemo slowly sighed before standing up. His human allies watched him as he walked over to Toriel until he was less than a foot in front of her. The two of them stared at each other in silence. Nemo closed his eyes and leaned his head forward, resting it against her shoulder. Toriel stared for a moment before letting out a weak laugh. "Ha ha… pathetic, is it not? I cannot even save two children."

"_You failed so many others besides the two of us." _Nemo lacked the emotional strength to utter those words out loud as Frisk ran over and hugged Toriel.

"No, I understand. You would just be unhappy trapped down here. The Ruins truly are small once you get used to them. It would not be right for you to grow up in a place like this. My expectations… my loneliness… my fear… for you, my children… I will put them aside." Nemo's soul vanished. The fight was over. "If you truly wish to leave the Ruins… I will not stop you. However, when you leave… please do not come back."

"_When we're done, we won't ever need to return to this place." _That remained unsaid too.

She then released them and looked at them with a soft smile. "Goodbye, my children." With that, Toriel went back the way they came, and the three of them were alone once more.

"That… wasn't any more fun the second time around." Said Nemo tiredly.

"Are you ok?" Asked Frisk.

"Hm?" Asked Nemo.

"_**You were practically burned alive**_." Said Chara drily.

"Right… that." Said Nemo as he examined the burns on his arms. "Honestly, it does kinda hurt, but not very much."

"_**She was probably holding back**_." Said Chara. "_**I'd hate to see what would happen if she was **_**really** _**mad**_."

"I'd probably be in more pain." Commented Nemo.

"_**I mean… I guess**_?" Said Chara, unsure how else to respond to such a cryptid statement. "_**Regardless, you should get those healed, do you have any food on hand**_?"

"What's this? Chara? Showing concern for someone? Did I wake up in an Alternate Universe or something?" Said Nemo sarcastically.

"_**Well f*ck you too then**_." Said Chara. Before the curse could leave their lips, Nemo covered Frisk's ears with his hands. Chara stared in surprise. "_**How the h*ll did you do that**_?" Again, Nemo prevented Frisk from hearing the curse. "_**They've already heard me curse! Covering their ears now won't make a difference**_!"

Nemo gave them a flat stare. "Whatever." He said tiredly as he pulled out a monster candy from his pocket and ate it. He was shocked to learn just how effective this stuff was. He could see some of his burns vanish.

"_**Why even bother doing that**_?" Asked Chara. "_**Frisk will just heal you at the next save star anyway, man you really are an idiot**_."

"Are you and Flowey related or something?" Asked Nemo drily. "Because you both are equally annoying." For some reason, Chara didn't have a rebuttal for that verbal jab. Nemo could continue to prod for answers, but he was too burned out to care.

(I'm not sorry, moving on)

The humans, both corporeal and not, made their way through the first door, passing the area that Flowey taunted them in the first timeline, only for him to be absent this time. "Huh… that can't be good." Said Nemo.

"What do you mean?" Asked Frisk worriedly.

"If Flowey's not here, then where is he? And more importantly, what problems are he causing?" Asked Nemo. Frisk looked down at the ground where Flowey would usually appear.

"_**Standing around worrying isn't going to do anything, let's just get out of here. I'm tired of these ruins**_." Said Chara as they continued to hover around their heads.

"Chara's right, we should get going, we're going to meet Sans and Papyrus next." Said Frisk.

"_**Hah! See that! Frisk agreed with **_**me**!" Said Chara a bit too proudly. Nemo didn't even bother responding to their provocations as he thought back to the last two timelines, both the memories he made of the brothers in the first timeline, and the ones he forcibly acquired in the second. He… had mixed emotions about seeing them. He blinked back into reality to see Chara hovering in his face, doing one of their scary faces as black tears spewed from their eyes while black ooze dripped from their mouth.

"Get out of my face you weirdo." Said Nemo as he pushed them away.

"_**Not my fault you were staring into space like a brain dead idiot**_!" Retorted Chara.

"You did space out for a little while." Said Frisk.

"Did I? Sorry, didn't notice." Said Nemo as he shook his head, clearing up his head a little bit. "Well, that aside, I guess we have _snow _choice but to leave." Said Nemo with a joke.

"_**Ugh, if this was a moment, that joke definitely would've **_**ruin**_**ed it**_." Said Chara. Frisk and Nemo stared at them for a moment before Nemo began to snicker. "_**What is i-**_?" Chara trailed off when they realized their mistake. Which kickstarted their existential crisis. "_**Oh god no! What have I become**_!?" Nemo's snickers evolved into full blown laughter as Chara let out an inhuman screech. Frisk went over and patted Chara's shoulder, or tried to anyway, while giving them an empathetic smile.

"Ah." Sighed Nemo as he ran a hand through his hair. "Well, Chara's comedy aside, we should get going."

"Right." Said Frisk. They reached out and grabbed his hand, and started pulling him to the exit. Chara floated behind them as the trio began the next part of their journey.

* * *

Nemo looked around the snowy landscape. "Still doesn't make sense." He said as he shook his head. His head then abruptly stopped as he noticed something to their left. He walked over to a snow coated bush. He gave it a small kick, causing the snow to fall away, revealing a hidden camera. He crouched down so that he was eye level with it. "Hello there Alphys." Said Nemo ominously before standing back up and stretching. "Alright, let's go."

"_**Was there a **_**need** _**for that**_?" Asked Chara with an unimpressed face.

"Probably not." Said Nemo as the group began to make their way to the bridge. The walk went almost exactly like it did in the first timeline. Now they waited in front of the bridge as a familiar person approached them from behind.

"_Human_." He said as he extended his hand, but before he could say anything more, Frisk beat him to the punch, turning around and shaking his hand. The sound of a whoopee cushion filled the area. Chara groaned as Nemo gave an amused smile. "_Heh, the old whoopee cushion in the hand trick… wait a sec… have you heard it before or something? You turned around before I said to… weird._" Asked Sans with an amused smile.

"It's great to see you again." Said Nemo with a smile.

"_Yeah, it's real nice isn't it?_" Said Sans as he winked at him. "_Especially considering I've never met you before._"

"It's a beautiful day outside, dontcha think?" Asked Nemo as he looked away. "Birds are singing, flowers are blooming… on days like this, kids like us…" Nemo returned Sans's wink with one of his own as he said, "should be hanging out with skeletons, I suppose."

The white's of Sans's eyes vanished and the size of his smile had shrunk a considerable amount. "_Uh huh…_" Said Sans before coughing, despite lacking lungs, as his face returned to normal. "_Whatever, you're a human, right? I'm Sans, Sans the skeleton. I'm actually supposed to be on watch for humans right now. But… y'know… I don't really care about capturing anybody. Now my brother, Papyrus… he's a human-hunting _fanatic_._" Nemo smiled as Papyrus came to mind, but then the image of a headless Papyrus came to mind, causing him to frown and a shadow to fall over his eyes. "_Hey, actually, I think that's him over there._" This made Nemo jump in place. "_I have an idea. Go through this gate thingy. Yeah, go right through. My bro made the bars too wide to stop anyone._" Nemo sighed as he shook his head at Papyrus's silliness, a smile returning to his face. The group made their way past the bridge into a wider area. "_Quick, behind that conveniently-shaped lamp. And you can hide behind my station._" Said Sans. The humans moved to their positions, while Chara floated over Frisk's head. Just as they got into position, Papyrus arrived. The brothers had their banter, and the humans quietly listened to them.

"_HEH!_" Said Papyrus before leaving.

"_Ok, you can come out now._" Said Sans. Frisk and Nemo came out of hiding.

"Thanks for the help Sans." Said Nemo.

"Yeah, thanks!" Said Frisk.

"_You oughta get going, he might come back and if he does… you'll have to sit through more of my hilarious jokes." _Said Sans with a wink.

Nemo chuckled as he and Frisk began to make their way to the next Save Star. Just before leaving though, Sans stopped them. "_Actually, hey… hate to bother ya, but can you do me a favor? I was thinking… my brother's been kinda down lately… he's never seen a human before, and seeing you might just make his day. Don't worry, he's not dangerous. Even if he tries to be._"

"Sure thing." Said Nemo with a wave.

"_Thanks a million._" Said Sans as he walked off in the opposite direction.

"_**I hate that smiley trash bag**_." Muttered Chara.

"Why's that?" Asked Nemo.

"_**The puns, for one thing**_." Replied Chara.

"Agree to disagree. And doesn't _your _mother like puns?" Asked Nemo.

Chara opened their mouth and then closed it, simply staring at him for a moment before muttering, "_**All the more reason to hate them**_."

_**Page 45 End**_

**Chapter 7 End**

_**DUALTALE**_


	47. Chapter 8, Page 1

After collecting the Tough Glove from the magic box, the humans continued Eastward. The duo stopped when they saw the skeleton brothers. "_SO, AS I WAS SAYING ABOUT UNDYNE._" Said Papyrus, but then stopped and looked at Frisk and Nemo. He looked at them, then at Sans, who looked at them in turn. This then led to them looking between them and each other again and again until the two started spinning in circles. Nemo and Chara rolled their eyes while Frisk giggled. Eventually the pair stopped. They then turned around and started talking to each other. "_SANS! OH MY GOD! IS THAT… HUMAN!? AND IT LOOKS SO FAMILIAR…!_" In that moment, Nemo could feel his heart come to a stop.

"_Uhhhh… I think it looks familiar… because it's a rock?_" Said Sans. Nemo glanced over at Frisk who was no longer giggling.

"_OH._" Said Papyrus with a disappointed expression. Nemo's gaze wandered to CHara, who had no response and instead just floated next to them.

"_Hey, what's that in front of the rock?_" Asked Sans.

Papyrus's eye sockets went wide. "_OH MY GOD!_" He exclaimed, he then turned and 'whispered' to Sans. "_IS THAT A HUMAN?_" They couldn't hear what Sans in response since he actually knew how to whisper, but Nemo assumes it was a yes judging by what Papyrus said next. "_OH MY GOD! SANS! I FINALLY DID IT! UNDYNE WILL… I'M GONNA… I'LL BE SO… POPULAR! POPULAR! POPULAR!_" The excited skeleton then composed himself. "_AHEM. HUMAN! YOU SHALL NOT PASS THIS AREA! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS SHALL STOP YOU! I WILL THEN CAPTURE YOU! YOU WILL BE DELIVERED TO THE CAPITAL! THEN… THEN! I'M NOT SURE WHAT HAPPENS NEXT._"

"_Asgore takes our souls." _Thought Nemo with a flat expression.

"_IN ANY CASE!_" Said Papyrus. "_CONTINUE… ONLY IF YOU DARE!_" He then ran off while laughing. "_NYEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH!_"

Sans looked at the humans. "_Well, that went well. Don't sweat it, kids._" Said the skeleton as he winked. "_I'll keep an eye socket out for ya._" He then walked off after his brother.

The duo watched him leave. "I feel… honestly, I'm not sure how I feel." Said Nemo.

"Yeah…" Said Frisk.

"_**Oh quit being a pair of cry babies! Let's go already**_!" Said Chara. Nemo glared at Chara before the trio continued on their way. They didn't get far before their souls manifested and they were attacked. "_**Snowdrake flutters forth**_." Frisk used Check. "_**Snowdrake ATK: 12 DEF: 7. This teen comedian fights to keep a captive audience**_."

"Ice puns are _snow _problem." Joked the monster as its crescent shaped attacks flew at them. Nemo moved to dodge them.

"Listen buddy, we don't want to fight." Said Nemo.

"_**Snowdrake is assessing the crowd**_." Said Chara.

"Stop that…" Growled Nemo. Frisk used Laugh, and started laughing at Snowdrake's joke.

"See!? Laughs! Dad was wrong!" Said Snowdrake before attacking again. The humans avoided the attack easily enough.

"_**Snowdrake is pleased with its 'cool' joke**_." Said Chara drily. Frisk acted quickly and Spared the monster, who in turn walked away. "_**You won! You earned 0 EXP and 12 gold**_." The duo tried to continue on their way, but they didn't get far when they were attacked again. "_**Icecap struts into view**_." Frisk checked the monster. "_**Ice cap ATK: 11 DEF: 4. This teen wonders why it isn't named 'Ice Hat'**_."

"Look, we don't want a fight." Said Nemo.

"I just looooove my hat, ok?" Said Icecap. It started firing icicles from its hat that rained down on the humans, but they managed to avoid its assault.

"I think your hat is great too!" Said Frisk, using Compliment.

"Envious? TOO BAD!" Snapped the monster. It launched waves of thin icicles at them, but the humans managed to sidestep them with ease.

"_**It's snowing dandruff**_." Said Chara.

"Come again?" Asked Nemo as he stopped and looked at them. Frisk nervously looked at their options. They decided to settle on ignore. Frisk looks away from Icecap's hat. Confused, Nemo followed suit.

"HELLLO? My hat's up here!" Said Icecap in annoyance. He repeated the same attack as last time, which the humans evaded easily enough.

"_**Icecap is secretly checking if you're looking at its hat**_." Said Chara. Frisk decided to use Ignore again. The monster seemed upset by this.

"Better a hatter than a _hater_." It said. The duo evaded another rain of icicles.

"_**Icecap is desperate for attention**_." Frisk spared the monster. "_**You won! You earned 0 EXP and 13 gold**_." Said Chara as the Icecap waddled away.

Nemo sighed. "_This was so much harder than just fighting." _He thought.

"_**Gotta say, you're not very good at 'playing by your own rules'**_." Chara said, poking fun at Nemo.

"Shove it, I'm not good at this sort of thing, I'm better with monsters like Undyne or Papyrus." Siad Nemo.

"_**But not Mettaton, huh**_?" They asked. Nemo shot them a dirty look, but before he could retort, Frisk grabbed Nemo's wrist, causing him to stop walking.

"What is it?" He asked. He looked at Frisk, only to see them staring off to the side at something.

"Did something move? Was it my imagination?" Asked Doggo. Nemo looked where they were looking to see the familiar dog monster looking around. "I can only see moving things. If something _was _moving… for example, a human… I'll make sure it _never_ moves again." Nemo and Frisk's souls manifested.

"_**Doggo blocks the way**_." Said Chara. Frisk used Check. "_**Doggo ATK: 13 DEF: 7. Easily excited by movement. Hobbies include squirrels**_."

"Don't move an inch." Said Doggo. He swiped his blue knife at them.

"_**Doggo can't seem to find anything**_." Said Chara. Frisk used the only other Act option they had: Pet.

"WHAT! I'VE BEEN PET!" Shouted Doggo. He continued to shout 'Pet' as he swung his knife at them again. Once the knife passed, Frisk spared him.

"_**You won! You earned 0 EXP and 30 gold**_." Said Chara.

"That's a lot of money." Commented Nemo.

"S-s-s-something pet me… something that isn't m-m-moving…" Said Doggo. "I'm gonna need some dog treats for this!" Doggo then sank back into his sentry station, and the trio could continue. They passed some smoked dog treats, and stopped in front of Sans.

"Hey there Sans." Greeted Nemo.

"_Hey,_" Said Sans, "_here's something important to remember. My brother-_"

"Blue stop signs, yeah, yeah." Said Nemo. "Thanks for the assist, good to see you following through on that promise. C'mon Frisk." Nemo then started sliding across the ice, with Frisk close behind.

"_**What's your angle**_?" Asked Chara as the trio approached the Snowman.

"Hm?" Asked Nemo as he turned to look at them while Frisk talked to the Snowman.

"_**If you keep talking to that smiley trashbag the way you are now, he's gonna connect the dots, and when he learns that you're a time traveler… well, you remember that fight**_." Said Chara.

"All too well." Said Nemo as Frisk waved goodbye to the snowman, and the humans began heading back the way they came.

After outrunning the Lesser Dog, the humans found themselves at the electric maze. "_REALLY THOUGH! THOSE HUMANS!_" They overheard Papyrus say to Sans. "_DO I KNOW THOSE PEOPLE?_"

"_Do you not know… who you know?_" Asked Sans.

"_PBPBPPBPT!_" Replied Papyrus. "_OF COURSE I KNOW WHO I KNOW! I WANTED TO KNOW IF YOU KNOW… I KNOW WHO I KNOW AS MUCH AS I KNOW I KNOW WHO I KNOW… YOU KNOW?_"

"The worst part is I understood that." Said Nemo, gaining the skeletons' attention.

"_OH-HO! SPEAK OF THE DEVIL!_" Said Papyrus.

"_**Who's talking about me**_?" Asked Chara. Nemo rolled his eyes and pushed them away.

"_IN ORDER TO STOP YOU… MY BROTHER AND I HAVE CREATED SOME PUZZLES! I THINK YOU WILL FIND THIS ONE… QUITE SHOCKING!_" Said Papyrus. "_FOR YOU SEE,_ _THIS IS THE INVISIBLE… ELECTRICITY MAZE!_ _WHEN YOU TOUCH THE WALLS OF THIS MAZE, THIS ORB WILL ADMINISTER A HEARTY ZAP!_" Explained Papyrus as he pulled an orb out from… somewhere. "_SOUND LIKE FUN? BECAUSE! THE AMOUNT OF FUN THAT YOU WILL PROBABLY HAVE, IS ACTUALLY RATHER SMALL I THINK. OK, YOU CAN GO AHEAD NOW._"

"_**This ought to be good**_." Said Chara as Nemo stuck a foot into the maze, causing Papyrus to be shocked.

"_SANS!_" Shouted Papyrus as he stomped his foot like a child. "_WHAT DID YOU DO?!_"

"_I think the human has to hold the orb._" Said Sans.

"_OH, OK._" Said Papyrus. He then perfectly navigated the invisible maze, which Nemo has to admit was impressive, even if he was the one to build it, and stopped in front of them. "_HOLD THIS PLEASE._" Said Papyrus as he held out the orb to them, which Nemo took. He then made his way back through the maze to where his brother was. "_OK, TRY NOW!_"

The living humans made their way through the maze via Papyrus's footsteps while Chara just floated through the walls. "_**Show off**_." Said Nemo drily. Chara's only response was to stick their tongue out at him.

"_INCREDIBLE! YOU SLIPPERY SNAIL!_" Exclaimed Papyrus. "_YOU SOLVED IT SO EASILY… TOO EASILY! HOWEVER! THE NEXT PUZZLE WILL NOT BE EASY! IT IS DESIGNED BY MY BROTHER, SANS. YOU WILL SURELY BE CONFOUNDED!_"

"You know a lot of big words, it's impressive." Said Nemo.

"_WHY THANK YOU! MY LAZY BROTHER TAUGHT ME WHEN WE WERE YOUNGER AND HE WAS FAR LESS LAZY!_" Said Papyrus proudly.

Nemo raised an eyebrow at that. That was an interesting tidbit of info. "Anywho, you were saying something about being confuddled?" He asked.

"_AH, YES, YOU WILL SURELY BE CONFOUNDED! I KNOW I AM! NYEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH!_" Said Papyrus. He then somehow slid backwards away and down the path.

"Still don't understand that one." Said Nemo.

"_My brother is jsut that cool_." Said Sans.

"Thank you for your insight." Said Nemo.

"_Hey, thanks._" Said Sans. "_My brother seems like he's having fun. By the way, did you se that weird outfit he's wearing? We made that a few weeks ago for a costume party. He hasn't worn anything else since… keeps calling it his 'battle body'. Man. Isn't my brother cool?_"

"Sure is." Said Nemo as the trio continued to the East. After getting some Nice Cream, the duo found themselves at the ball game area. They gave the game a few run arounds, getting to see each color of flag at least once, and earning quite a bit of gold. "Where does it all come from?" Wondered Nemo. Eventually they decided to move on, stopping in front of the brothers' Word search 'puzzle'. "_HUMANS!_" Shouted Papyrus. "_I HOPE YOU'RE READY FOR…_" He trailed off when he noticed something was wrong. "_SANS! WHERE'S THE PUZZLE!_"

"_It's right there. On the ground_" Said Sans. everyone gazed down to see a piece of paper lying on the ground between them. "_Trust me. There's no way they can get past this one._"

Nemo gave the puzzle the once over before putting it down. "_SANS! THAT DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!_" Shouted Papyrus, causing Nemo to wince and grab his head.

"_Whoops._" Said Sans. "_I knew I should have used today's crossword instead._"

"_WHAT?_" Asked Papyrus, fortunately being quieter this time. "_CROSSWORD? I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU SAID THAT. IN MY OPINION… JUNIOR JUMBLE IS EASILY THE HARDEST._"

"_What? Really, dude?_" Asked Sans. "_That easy-peasy word scramble? That's for baby bones_"

"_UN. BELIEVABLE. HUMANS! SOLVE THIS DISPUTE!_" Shouted Papyrus.

"Junior Jumble." Said Nemo.

"_HA! HA! YES!_" Laughed Papyrus. "_HUMANS MUST BE VERY INTELLIGENT. IF THEY ALSO FIND JUNIOR JUMBLE SO DIFFICULT._" Nemo couldn't help but chuckle at the skeleton's antics. "_NYEH. HEH. HEH HEH._" Papyrus then turned and left.

"_Thanks for saying 'Junior Jumble' just to appease my brother._" Said Sans making the humans look at him. "_Yesterday he got stumped trying to 'solve' the horoscope._"

"No problem." Said Nemo. The humans made their way to the next star. Frisk placed their hand on it.

"_**Knowing the mouse might one day find a way to heat up the spaghetti…**_" Said Chara. "_**It fills you with determination**_."

**Page 46 End**


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